‘Mob-mentum’: Jezza’s shock troops

Q What is Momentum and how large is it?

A Momentum is the Left-wing group set up just after Jeremy Corbyn became leader. Acting as his loyal ‘Praetorian guard’ they have moved Labour to the Left, sidelining Blairites. It was founded by privately educated, far-Left activist Jon Lansman and now claims 31,000 members and 200,000 supporters.

Q How do they operate?

A They have been hugely successful in using social media to mobilise supporters and change the face of political campaigning. But they have also been dubbed ‘mob-mentum’ for their hostile online activity designed to prise out centrists.

Q What sort of things do they do?

A In Brighton, a Momentum campaigner posted a video showing the faces of three Labour councillors superimposed on to dancing Orthodox Jews. Some of the worst abuse by Momentum has been aimed at female Labour MPs. In the run-up to a Commons vote on bombing raids on Syria, its activists defaced the constituency office of moderate Walthamstow Labour MP Stella Creasy. Someone wrote on her Facebook page: ‘Enjoy sleeping when the first child dies. Maybe you can keep one of their limbs as a souvenir’. Addressing a Momentum conference last month, academic Paolo Gerbaudo called on the Left to ‘hate again’, but the group says in its code of ethics that it advocates ‘fair, honest debate focused on policies, not personal attacks or harassment’.

Q Who runs Momentum?

A James Schneider, educated at Winchester and Oxford, oversaw Momentum’s expansion before moving into Corbyn’s private office. Hard-Left activist Jackie Walker, Momentum’s first vice-chairman, was sacked last year after footage emerged of her criticising Holocaust Memorial Day at a Labour Party anti-Semitism training session.