Human shield for Jewish MP as she braves Left-wing mob
DOZENS of Labour MPs marched in support of a Jewish colleague yesterday as she gave evidence at a suspended party member’s hearing over antiSemitic remarks.
Forty MPs and peers effectively formed a human shield as Ruth Smeeth arrived at the hearing of Marc Wadsworth, who was said to have accused her of being part of a Rightwing media conspiracy.
He was accused of bringing the party into disrepute and suspended after challenging Mrs Smeeth at a Press conference launching the Chakrabarti report on Labour antiSemitism. The MPs escorted Mrs Smeeth to the hearing in Westminster past chanting, placard-carrying protesters who claimed there was a witchhunt against Mr Wadsworth.
Among them was Tony Greenstein, who was expelled from the Labour party for using the term ‘Zio’. He said yesterday that Israel ‘should go’.
MPs said they had decided to support Mrs Smeeth because she had initially been told by the party she would be responsible for her own security as she walked to the hearing.
Environment spokesman Sue Hayman, ex-Northern Ireland
spokesman Owen Smith and Jewish Labour Movement chairman Luciana Berger were among those forming a protective ring. Miss Berger said: ‘Warm words are nice, but in and of themselves they are not enough, and that’s why we’re here with our colleague Ruth Smeeth.’
Also present were prominent backbenchers Stella Creasy, Jess Phillips, and Margaret Hodge, as well as Wes Streeting, who organised the delegation, and John Mann, whose family received rape threats as a result of his objections to anti-Semitism.
Mr Streeting said: ‘No victim of abuse should ever have to walk through a protest against them to give evidence to a hearing. It is an appalling state of affairs.’
Mr Wadsworth’s hearing in front of Labour’s National Constitutional Committee comes 22 months after the complaint against him for accusing Mrs Smeeth of working ‘hand in hand’ with the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
While Mrs Smeeth left the meeting in 2016 in floods of tears, Jeremy Corbyn was later pictured laughing and joking with Mr Wadsworth.
Controversially, Labour MP Chris Williamson – a former shadow cabinet member – attended yesterday’s hearing as a witness supporting Mr Wadsworth. Corbyn ally Clive Lewis also confirmed he was one of three MPs to give character statements in support of him.
‘I’ve known him for 20 years,’ he said. ‘He’s an antiracist campaigner. I watched that video and I don’t think that warranted being expelled from Labour.’
Speaking outside the hearing, Mr Wadsworth said he was not anti-Semitic and had endured ‘almost two years of trial by media’. A decision is expected this week.