DOSSIER THAT LAYS BARE DAMAGING HATE CLAIMS
AS THE EHRC launches a formal investigation into Labour, we look at some of the most disturbing allegations of anti-Semitism against party members and supporters:
÷ A LABOUR councillor was forced to quit the party last August after saying Hitler ‘would have had a solution to the Israel problem’. Damien Enticott, of Bognor Regis Town Council, apologised after posting on Facebook that some Jews ‘need executing’. He suggested others were paedophiles, referring to the way orthodox rabbis clean circumcision wounds. ÷ RICHARD Burgon MP declared on oath that he did not believe Zionism was the ‘enemy of peace’ – only three months before a video emerged proving he did. Labour’s justice spokesman had last year denied making the comment after it was exposed by the Mail in 2016. ÷ ACTIVIST Kayla Bibby shared a picture of an alien bearing the Star of David choking the Statue of Liberty but escaped suspension from her party as image was ‘not anti- Jewish’. ÷ JEREMY Corbyn last week issued a message to a group called ‘British Muslims for Corbyn’ whose Facebook page is littered with anti-Semitic tropes. It is not suggested Mr Corbyn knew of or supported the comments on the group’s page. ÷ LAST year the Mail revealed a photo of Mr Corbyn during a 2014 visit to Tunis, holding a wreath yards from the graves honouring the Palestinian terrorists behind the Munich Olympics massacre.
÷ LABOUR MP Chris Williamson was suspended in February after it was revealed he said the party was ‘too apologetic’ about anti-Semitism.
÷ A LABOUR member shared a post accusing Jewish people of ‘eating the organs of their enemies’ and accused Jews of inventing modern terrorism by saying ‘IRA murderers took their cue from Jews’. But the party sought to delay his suspension until it was found if his disability had left him vulnerable.
÷ A LEAKED file of 45 cases of repugnant messages posted online by Labour members is being examined by Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick.
÷ A PARTY member was suspended in April for branding two female Jewish MPs ‘a couple of s***-stirring c*** buckets bought and paid for by Israel’. The activist described Ruth Smeeth and Dame Margaret Hodge as ‘cretinous pieces of s***’ who should ‘f*** off back under their stones’. ÷ A MEMBER repeated abusive posts about Mrs Smeeth and had previously been suspended by the party. But she faced no action as officials decided she was ‘not someone engaging in anti-Semitism’. ÷ MR CORBYn gave his support to graffiti artist Mear One who painted a mural in London portraying several known antiSemitic tropes in 2012, saying he was ‘in good company’. He later conceded he had been wrong. ÷ A MEMBER was not suspended even though he was reported in May last year for saying Jewish MPs ‘can’t rein in your killers in the Middle East’, referred to the ‘Jewish brigade’ and said ‘Jews desire the Labour Party to comply with their demands’. ÷ THE party let off a branch secretary last April for using the offensive word ‘zio’, despite it being a second offence – and instead sought to reprimand the person who complained. ÷ A PARTY member from Luciana Berger’s Liverpool Wavertree constituency attacked users on Twitter who opposed antiSemitism. He had previously been suspended from Labour and issued with a warning for sending abusive messages to several Labour MPs, but was then allowed back into the party last April and no further action was taken. ÷ In JUnE 2017, a member of Momentum’s steering committee shared a message accusing Saudi Arabia of being in thrall to ‘Zionist paymasters’. Apsana Begum later apologised. ÷ A LABOUR activist reported last April for writing on Miss Berger’s Facebook page that ‘there are Zionist infiltrators in the Labour Party stirring trouble that doesn’t exist’ was let off without reprimand and was able to stand in local elections. ÷ An ACTIVIST supported a notorious anti-Semitic mural – but escaped suspension because ‘she hasn’t displayed any specific antiSemitic attitudes, more just general ignorance and lack of education’.
÷ A LABOUR candidate posted that ‘Jews are often agents rather than instigators of exploitation’ but her suspension was blocked and she was elected as a councillor last year.
÷ A MEMBER of Labour’s national Policy Forum was suspended after writing that deputy leader Tom Watson received ‘£50,000+ from Jewish donors’. George McManus added: ‘At least Judas only got 30 pieces of silver.’ He apologised and the sanction was lifted in September. ÷ A LABOUR councillor in Wales posted YouTube videos to his Facebook page with titles such as: ‘Is ISIS good for the Jews?’ and ‘The whole story of Zionist conspiracy’. In April 2018, the party considered ‘investigation without suspension’. ÷ JEnnIE Formby, Labour’s general secretary, said 96 members were suspended for their conduct between April 2018 and January 2019, while 12 were expelled. She said 673 complaints were received in ten months alleging acts of antiSemitism by its members.