Labour officials denounce the party’s antisemitism crisis in 53-page report
A total of 70 current and former British Labour Party officials condemned antisemitism in the party in sworn statements submitted to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Daily Mail reported on Thursday.
British Labour Party and Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, May 12, 2017. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
The sworn testimonies form part of the Jewish Labour Movement’s 53-page submission to the EHRC, which is currently investigating the Labour Party over allegations of antisemitism.
Witness statements reveal that Jewish party members often do not feel comfortable attending Labour meetings “due to the intensity of animosity towards them.” One respondent said they had 22 examples of antisemitic abuse targeting them at constituency Labour gatherings.
Another claimed that an official at a constituency Labour Party “objected to 25 applications for membership from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and required home visits to these prospective members’ houses,” which was not a requirement for other prospective members and “appears to have been direct discrimination against Jewish applicants for membership.”
The document also outlined actions by party leader Jeremy Corbyn that serve as “signals to party members” that “antisemitic views are acceptable.”
According to JLM, high-profile and senior members of the party have “repeatedly defended and/or associated with those accused of antisemitism,” which provides “legitimacy” for others in the party to “do the same and/or deny that a problem exists.”
JLM called on the EHRC to force the Labour Party to make a public statement acknowledging “the scale and extent of the issue of antisemitism in the party,” and apologizing for “promoting a pervasive culture of denialism and obfuscation and diminishing the experience of those who have suffered as a result.”
The JLM also asked for a requirement that Labour must resolve all cases within three months.
JNS
The UK opinion polls say the Conservatives will win but these polls are increasingly inaccurate as most are conducted on landline telephone calls which fewer people still have.
The opinion polls did not predict the massive landslide win to the Conservative Party.