Labour MP Ian Austin faced a barrage of abuse from pro-Palestinian protestors gathered outside one of his constituency advice surgeries including one vile taunt alleging: “You are being paid by the Zionists to help the Jews.”
The abuse directed towards the Dudley North MP, who is facing disciplinary action after protesting to the party’s chair about the failure of leader Jeremy Corbyn to properly address antisemitism, came after he twice approached the group of 30 activists, who included members of the Socialist Workers Party and other far-left organisations, and asked them for calm so he could conduct his business with constitiuents.
But Mr Austin - whose adoptive father was a Czech Jewish refugee who lost relatives in the Holocaust – was met with calls of 'Shame on you' by the protesters who were using a microphone.
Sources have confirmed to the JC that the MP looked visibly upset after one of the protesters, whose political group affiliation is not known, made the allegation to him about “Zionists” and “Jews”.
Around 30 activists from the Black Country and Birmingham attended Saturday's demonstration which was organised by the Dudley Palestine Solidarity Group at the Paradise Centre on Buffery Park.
Mr Austin, an outspoken critic of the rise of antisemitism in the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, offered to speak to any campaigners who were constituents inside the centre but declined to take part in a public debate outside.
The MP told the group: "I'm happy to speak to people but I'm not doing it out here. If constituents want to come in and talk to me they can."
The Dudley pro-Palestine group has previously clashed with Mr Austin and have claimed their demonstrations were not meant as a personal attack on him but a response to opinions the politician has expressed.
Jerry Langford, spokesman for the group, told the local Express and Star newspaper: "Ian takes what he thinks is an independent position but in reality he deals very lightly with Israeli aggression. He doesn't talk about the illegal settlement.
"All of us here would commend the work he has done in making the Holocaust a significant event in the Dudley calendar. We're proud to be associated with that, and have no truck with any antisemitism at all,"
"These are the things we find difficult to stomach with Ian. He does say he's always prepared to talk to us but he doesn't always listen."
Mr Austin declined to comment but another senior Labour figure said: “This is part of the bitter division and hatred that Jeremy’s leadership has brought into the Labour Party.
“It is clear that good hard-working MPs like Joan Ryan and Ian are being targeted.
“The leadership has subjected Ian to a trumped up investigation because he spoke out about antisemitism and now hard-left members are working with the SWP to organise these protests. It looks like they are trying to drive people like him out of the Labour Party and provoke a split.”
