Fresh racism row over mayoral hopeful who called Israel ‘a pig’
JEREMY Corbyn was at the centre of a fresh anti-Semitism storm last night after defending a controversial hard- Left Labour candidate who his own MPs want expelled from the party.
Former Respect Party leader and Stop The War acolyte Salma Yaqoob was shortlisted to be Labour’s candidate for mayor of the West Midl a nds, s parki ng uproar from members and MPs.
She was slammed for describing Israel as a ‘pig’ and on Friday deleted scores of online rants against ‘Zionists’. Labour’s LGBT group have also accused her of anti-gay prejudice – a claim she denied.
Last night, this newspaper confronted the Labour leader after unearthing a video of Mr Corbyn describing Yaqoob as a ‘hero’ and ‘a fantastic activist’ in 2013. But rather than distance himself from the growing row, Mr Corbyn’s team defended his comments and heaped fresh praise on her.
Mr Corbyn’s spokesman said: ‘Of course Jeremy praised Salma Yaqoob in 2013 for her years of work on anti-war and anti-austerity campaigns. Those campaigns have been vindicated.’
However, Yaqoob’s 2017 General Election opponent – Labour MP Naz Shah – branded her ‘unfit for office’ as Jewish community groups demanded Labour expel her.
Yaqoob was a leading figure in the Respect Party, set up by George Galloway, standing against Labour in multiple elections.
But it was her run as an independent in Bradford in 2017 that caused uproar. Last week, Shah claimed Yaqoob’s campaign to unseat her had left her ‘feeling suicidal’.
Labour’ s Ruth Smee th last night slammed Mr Corbyn’s comments saying: ‘I personally think Salma Yaqoob has no place in our movement, not least because of her behaviour towards Naz Shah in 2017.’
The Stoke- on- Trent MP added: ‘The idea anyone could see her as a hero or a heroine is beyond my comprehension. She has no place in our movement.’
And the Labour Against AntiSemitism campaign said: ‘ Salma Yaqoob has a track record of allegedly making overtly anti-Semitic public statements. It is beyond belief that she has been shortlisted as a potential candidate for t he mayor o f West Midlands, a region with a proud history of tolerance and multiculturalism.’
Spokesman
Fiona Sharpe added: ‘Labour should withdraw Ms Yaqoob from the selection process: there must be no place for someone with her apparently toxic views anywhere in our democratic system.’
Community group the Board of Deputies of British Jews also hit out, claiming: ‘Not only was Salma Yaqoob formerly a senior associate of George Galloway in the Respect Party but she has also retweeted an article about “Rothschild bankers” arrested in Iceland – a clear antiSemitic trope.’
Its president, Marie van der Zyl, said: ‘No one who refers to Jews as “pigs” could possibly be considered for high office by any reputable party.
‘ Labour must withdraw her from the short list for West Midlands mayor and exp el her immediately.’
Yaqoob did not respond to a request for comment.