Sunday, August 19, 2018
Labour dig deeper hole on anti-semitism
There may well be elements amongst the Labour leadership who understand the damage the anti-Semitism row is doing to their party and are trying to find a way to back out of the mess that they are in. However, if that is the case then their colleagues are doing them no favours.
The Independent reports that anti-Semitism training at this year’s Labour conference is at risk of being scrapped after Jewish members accused party leaders of trying to "censor" the sessions. They say that the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) has led courses at the last two conferences, but has withdrawn in 2018 claiming party officials demanded the removal of elements scheduled to be taught in Liverpool next month:
The Independent has been told that, in particular, Labour wanted the omission of references to high-profile cases like that of Ken Livingstone, who claimed Hitler had supported Zionism, and Naz Shah MP, who was suspended over a series of posts including one which appeared to endorse a suggestion that Israelis be deported to the US.
In a letter seen by The Independent, the JLM’s chair told Labour general secretary Jennie Formby that the party had been acting “in a manner to deliberately undermine” Labour’s only affiliated Jewish group and “add to further tension”.
The party declined to comment on the record on the issue and is yet to confirm an alternative course provider has been found.
The withdrawal of JLM comes as Labour’s crisis shows no sign of abating, with a former MP suspended from the party this weekend and a survivor of the Munich massacre accusing Mr Corbyn of being an “antisemite”.
The usual rule in these cases is, if you are in a hole, stop digging. Somebody should tell them.
The Independent reports that anti-Semitism training at this year’s Labour conference is at risk of being scrapped after Jewish members accused party leaders of trying to "censor" the sessions. They say that the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) has led courses at the last two conferences, but has withdrawn in 2018 claiming party officials demanded the removal of elements scheduled to be taught in Liverpool next month:
The Independent has been told that, in particular, Labour wanted the omission of references to high-profile cases like that of Ken Livingstone, who claimed Hitler had supported Zionism, and Naz Shah MP, who was suspended over a series of posts including one which appeared to endorse a suggestion that Israelis be deported to the US.
In a letter seen by The Independent, the JLM’s chair told Labour general secretary Jennie Formby that the party had been acting “in a manner to deliberately undermine” Labour’s only affiliated Jewish group and “add to further tension”.
The party declined to comment on the record on the issue and is yet to confirm an alternative course provider has been found.
The withdrawal of JLM comes as Labour’s crisis shows no sign of abating, with a former MP suspended from the party this weekend and a survivor of the Munich massacre accusing Mr Corbyn of being an “antisemite”.
The usual rule in these cases is, if you are in a hole, stop digging. Somebody should tell them.
