‘I walked the walk’ against Jew-hate

JEREMY CORBYN has described how he has “stood side-by-side” with the Jewish community to combat antisemitism.

The Labour leader said there had been an “alarming rise” in Jew-hatred and that his party was “implacably opposed” to antisemitism in any form.

Mr Corbyn said Labour was “taking forward the recommendations of the Chakrabarti Inquiry into racism and antisemitism”.

Speaking in Birmingham on Saturday, Mr Corbyn addressed an event marking Wednesday’s UN international day for the elimination of racial discrimination.

He outlined his party’s anti-racism credentials, saying: “I and many others in the Labour party haven’t just talked the talk; we have walked the walk as well.

“I have stood side by side with your communities, to campaign against apartheid in South Africa, against increasing Islamophobia in this country, against racism and against antisemitism.”

In a reference to last week’s EU Court of Justice ruling that companies can ban employees from wearing religious symbols, Mr Corbyn said: “We must not allow people’s freedoms to be curbed and must at all times promote religious acceptance.

“In this country we have a tradition of acceptance… including opposing any discriminatory bans of religious symbols, whether these be crucifixes, turbans, kippahs or niqabs or any other form of dress.”

Mr Corbyn said he was not taking ethnic minority communities’ support “for granted”. He wanted backers to “organise, campaign and lead for Labour in your communities”.