Board ‘deeply disturbed’ by Labour antisemitism

THEBOARDof Deputieshasgivenevidence to Shami Chakrabarti’s inquiry into antisemitism in the Labour Party.

In its submission, it described the spike in allegations of antisemitism from within the party’s ranks as “deeply disturbing”.

In a nine-page document, the Board said Labour needed clearer guidelines on the difference between criticism of Israel and antisemitism.

It also expressed concern that some Labour members “have reflected a culture of denial, disbelief, mockery and even censorship against Jews — includingJewishmembersof theLabourParty — who have expressed concerns about the problem of antisemitism”.

Ms Chakrabarti’s internal inquiry was launched last month after a series of suspensions of Labour members amid allegations of antisemitism. It is expected to report by the end of this month.

The Board told the inquiry that it had been “disappointed” at some of the responses from the party leadership to claims of antisemitism.

“Reactionshavefrequentlybeenslow, faltering, disbelieving and lacking in understanding of the issues. A number of earlier inquiries have not been published, which raises questions about transparency. We hope that, going forward, the leadership will show clarity and purpose on tackling antisemitism as a clear part of its anti-racism work.”

The Board’s submission was criticised in an email sent by a senior communal figure and seen by the JC.

The figure questioned why the Board had wrongly claimed that the EU Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia’s working definition of antisemitism had been “adopted by the Home Office”.

A Board spokesperson said: “We have made a minor clarification to our submission,” changing the wording to “used by the UK government”.