Corbyn faces criticism over Passover event
British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn risked further souring his relationship with the Jewish community by attending a Passover event with a left-wing Jewish group that has called for the destruction of Israel.
He spent Monday evening at a ritual feast hosted by Jewdas, a group that described Israel in December as a “steaming pile of sewage which needs to be properly disposed of”. It called recent protests against Corbyn for failing to tackle anti-Semitism “faux-outrage greased with hypocrisy and opportunism”.
A spokesman for Corbyn, a supporter of Palestinian rights and a critic of Israel, said he attended the event in his London constituency in a personal capacity and not in his role as Labour leader.
“He wrote to the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council last week to ask for an urgent formal meeting to discuss tackling anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and in society,” the spokesman said.
Jewdas did not respond to a request for comment.
Since becoming Labour leader in 2015, Corbyn has repeatedly faced accusations of turning a blind eye to antiSemitic comments in the party and among groups he supports. Corbyn said on Tuesday there was no place for anti-Semitism in his party and Labour would investigate any cases of suspected racism. “Anti-Semitism is a vile, evil thing in our society … and has to be eradicated,” he told reporters.
The issue flared up two weeks ago after it came to light that in 2012 Corbyn questioned a decision by London authorities to remove a street mural depicting men in suits with big noses playing Monopoly on the backs of naked people, reminiscent of anti-Semitic propaganda.
Some Labour MPs criticised Corbyn’s decision to attend the event on Monday.
MP John Woodcock said Corbyn’s attendance was “deliberately baiting the mainstream Jewish community days after they pleaded with him to tackle anti-Semitism”.