Labour’s former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has described Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi  as “a decent, sincere socialist” and has offered to be a witness for her at any disciplinary hearing into her suspension from the party.

Mr McDonnell tweeted that he personally knew the leading  Jewish Voice For Labour official and he said he understood that “not everybody may agree with everything Naomi says.”

But he appeared to back comments she made at Monday’s Chingford and Woodford Green Labour meeting - where she is vice-chair - writing: “We all have the right to speak and the right to disagree but disagreement shouldn’t result in suspension. I’d be a witness for her at any party disciplinary hearing.”

But Mr McDonnell’s remarks immediately sparked an angry response from Jewish campaigners against antisemitism.

The leading QC Simon Myerson wrote: “Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi gave evidence on behalf of Ken Livingstone at his disciplinary hearing. Here are the quotes:  ‘I was not remotely offended and I didn’t know what the fuss was.

“‘I probably wouldn’t have put it that way but I have myself looked at the history. I’m aware of this very controversial historical record of Zionist leaders making approaches to leaders of the Nazi party, suggesting deals.

“’And in fact I’m sorry to say this but I’ve got sources here to back this up, that there was a coincidence of interest between the Zionist leadership – that’s not to say every Zionist of course – but between the Zionist leadership and the Nazi party, which wished to rid German Society of Jews, because of their intense and visceral hatred of the Jewish people.

“’And that coincides with what the Zionist movement intends.’"

Continuing to quote Ms Wimborne-Idrissi, Mr Myerson wrote: “Asked about Israel: ‘Yes, it is a racist endeavour obviously. To set up a Jewish State for Jews, that's racist I'm sorry. And there's nothing bad about saying that.’

“Asked whether comparing Zionism to Nazism was racist (as Chakrabarti said it was): ‘I do not think that equating or in any way comparing the actions of the Zionist state or even aspects of the Zionist ideology with anything to do with the Nazi state is, of itself, opposed to Judaism, so it's not racist. There's got to be hatred.

“’There's got to be motivation, which is "I'm out to get you as a Jew". ... And I'm sorry, I have asked people in the Labour Party “Where are the Jews who are offended by these things?” because I’ve not met them’.”

Meanwhile, Warwick University student Toby Kunin recalled attending Labour Party conference in Liverpool in 2018 and hearing Ms Wimborne-Idrissi speak from the main stage.

He wrote: “Aged 16, listening to Naomi deny the antisemitism I'd personally experienced, from the conference floor to a standing ovation all around me, was among the most unsafe I have ever felt in the Labour Party. 3 years later my skin still crawls thinking about it.”

Former Labour councillor Adam Langleben added that he had also been present at Labour conference when Ms Wimborne-Idrissi gave her speech.

He tweeted: “And thousands in that room cheered her on. Enthusiastically. That was the moment when it was clear to me that we were not dealing with a few bad apples. We were dealing with a full institutional problem that went way beyond one man.”

The Community Security Trust's Dave Rich reacted to Mr McDonnell's comments tweeting:"It is very helpful of the former Labour leadership to keep reminding everyone how they created the racist mess that its current leadrship is now trying to clean up."

Labour confirmed Ms Wimborne-Idrissi had been suspended from the party on Thursday, after the JC had revealed details of the meeting of Chingford and Woodford Green Labour Party help on Monday.

The JC revealed how Ms Wimborne-Idrissi had sent an online  message to those attending the meeting defending a previous speaker, Pippa, who had said antisemitism allegations were being weaponised in the party.

Ms Wimborne-Idrissi wrote: “May I just say there are many Jews in the party, including me, who endorse 100 per cent what Pippa said about the weaponisation.

“The cynical manipulation of Jewish fears and concerns is unforgivable and undermines all our work against racism of all kinds.”

During the meeting  members of the local Labour Party, including members of the Jewish Labour Movement, remarked that they were uncomfortable with the speeches by Ms Wimborne-Idrissi and the chair Mr Lafley,

But the CLP vice-chair said of the online gathering: “I’m just horrified to see people saying in the chat that they feel ‘uncomfortable’.

“I feel obliged to say well yeah, I feel uncomfortable that people are saying they’re uncomfortable. What is this? We are in a political party. We have views, some of them very strongly held.”

Ms Wimborne-Idrissi said: “The idea – and I have to mention it – the idea that Jewish people require for their comfort that whole swathes of subjects should not be debated by the membership of this party is insulting to Jewish people.

“And I know there are some Jews in this meeting who will say ‘No No I think it’s wonderful.’ This is a dangerous road. Do we really want us Jewish members to be seen as gatekeepers – as people who prevent others from discussing issues of importance? This is serious stuff, comrades.”

On Tuesday, Labour members confirmed to the JC that they considered the meeting to have been a “deeply unpleasant environment.”