Labour MP for Islington North Jeremy Corbyn, backed calls for an inquiry into Jewish influence in the Conservative Party. Raed Salah’s lawyer Tayyab Ali called for the inquiry that Corbyn “strongly supported”. Raed Salah is the Blood Libel Sheikh whom Corbyn invited to parliament.
In Ali’s call for an inquiry, Tayyab Ali blamed mainstream Jewish organisations for making the government exclude all manner of extremists. Ali erroneously identified a Jewish donor to the Tory Party, as a trustee of the Community Security Trust and the Board of Deputies, and used this false information to justify his call for an inquiry.
What was the reaction of the Labour party to Jeremy Corbyn?
The Jewish Chronicle reports:
The Labour Party refused to add to its statement last week that “these are absolutely not the views of the Labour Party.”
I think this is an appalling response from the Labour Party.
Labour is refusing to say that Corbyn’s inquiry is morally wrong, or prejudiced, or racist and antisemitic, or bigoted, or extreme.
Instead, we learn that Corbyn’s views are not those of the Labour Party, which should make you wonder – what are the views of the Labour Party on this issue, if they are still yet to discipline their own MP on this issue?
Jeremy Corbyn’s “inquiry” is based on a hateful lie about rich Jews influencing the Tories. He is a Labour MP in London.
Ken Livingstone also believes in a similarly hateful lie, that as most Jews are rich, they will tend to vote Tory. He is Labour’s mayoral candidate for London.
Even the Jewish Labour activists backing Ken, are now playing Ken’s game, and trying to justify the Jewish community against Livingstone’s prejudices. They write:
We still have not managed to persuade Ken, that wealth is not the only major determinant of voting preferences. Ken does not register that Stamford Hill, a poorer community is not totally Labour voting, whilst the more affluent Finchley is not as Conservative voting as he would predict.
Actually when it comes to the Jewish community the opposite is true. According to their religious values, the Jews of Stamford Hill are much more socially conservative than those living around them and vote Tory. The opposite is true in Finchley where the Jews of Finchley are more supportive of the Labour party than those living around them. This shows wealth cannot be the key determinant of voting for our community.
[…]
[The] religious right is socially very conservative which is more relevant to its voting than its wealth. The more wealthy parts of the Jewish community through North London are more modern in their religion, and retain strong prophetic Jewish values which some couple with their family experiences as 2nd and 3rd generation immigrant communities retaining political connections. We have sent all the figures to Ken. This is not an accusation of anti-semitism, but Ken has not listened or absorbed the statistical information.
When you’re at your lowest ebb, everything feels like an uphill struggle.
The Jewish Labour activists here, cannot convince their mayoral candidate to drop his antisemitic prejudices.
This is because the Labour party does not take antisemitism seriously enough. Or, those within the Labour party who want to fight antisemitism, lack the power to do so effectively, in any tangible or meaningful way.
Here is the definition of institutional racism, according to the Macpherson Report:
The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin which can be seen or detected in processes; attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantages minority ethnic people.
I do not wish to insult the sincerity, or the political sensibilities, of people who vote Labour for genuine and pure reasons.
However, it is sadly true to say now, that the Labour Party is institutionally racist against Jews.
We cannot change this fact through optimism, earnestness, or becoming defensive and pretending that this is not the case.
In a liberal democracy, it is unthinkable that one of the two main parties should be institutionally racist. This situation needs to change urgently, and the Litmus test will be whether Ed Miliband decides to take action against Jeremy Corbyn, and whether the Labour party holds him to account for his words.
I encourage you to send this letter to Ed Miliband:
Dear Mr. Miliband,
I am most concerned by the call by Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North, for a review into the Jewish influence in the Conservative party
(http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/66894/corbyn-wont-back-away-salah/)Mr Corbyn endorses claims by Raed Salah’s lawyers, that an inquiry is necessary because there is a “melee of personal relationships” between the government and “the pro-Israeli lobby”. According to Salah’s supporters, this lobby includes Conservative Party donor Poju Zabludowicz, who is erroneously identified as a trustee of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Comunity Security Trust. This can only be described as an anti-Jewish conspiracy theory.
Whilst the Labour Party has stated “”these are absolutely not the views of the Labour Party,” the Labour Party must be clear about its views on this issue. There should be no room for antisemitism or racism within any mainstream political party in the 21st century.
The whip was rightly removed from Jenny Tonge, and I would like to see the same happen vis à vis Jeremy Corbyn. I would be very grateful if you would take the appropriate action, and make a stand against racism both within and without your party.
Yours sincerely,
xxxx
And this letter to your MP:
Dear ______,
I am most concerned by the call by Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North, for a review into the Jewish influence in the Conservative party (http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/66894/corbyn-wont-back-away-salah)
Mr Corbyn endorses claims by Raed Salah’s lawyers, that an inquiry is necessary because there is a “melee of personal relationships” between the government and “the pro-Israeli lobby”. According to Salah’s supporters, this lobby includes Conservative Party donor Poju Zabludowicz, who is erroneously identified as a trustee of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Comunity Security Trust. This can only be described as an anti-Jewish conspiracy theory.
It is imperative that the Labour Party is held to account on this issue. The whip was rightly removed from Jenny Tonge, and I would like to see the same happen vis à vis Jeremy Corbyn. I would be very grateful if you would raise this issue in Parliament.
Yours sincerely,
xxxx
The alternatives are: despair, denial or passive acceptance.
