Is Corbyn in denial?
Labour’s anti-Semitism crisis
Accusations of anti-semitism continued to dog Labour this week despite efforts by the party to defuse the long-running row. On Monday, the disciplinary action against Margaret Hodge, that was launched after she reportedly called Jeremy Corbyn an “anti-semite” and a “racist” last month, was dropped. The pair fell out over the Labour leadership’s refusal to incorporate in full the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s (IHRA) widely accepted definition of anti-semitism in the party’s new code of conduct, on the grounds that doing so may hinder legitimate criticism of Israel.
Corbyn had earlier broken his silence on the anti-semitism row, conceding that the issue was a “real problem” and that his party had been slow to react. Jewish leaders accused him of offering words rather than deeds. Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, warned that the party risked being lost in a “vortex of eternal shame” unless it took action. His words prompted online calls for his resignation; Labour suspended a member of the party’s National Policy Forum who posted a Facebook comment about Watson’s “Jewish donors” and compared him to Judas.
What the editorials said
“It is a shame that it has taken Corbyn so many weeks to realise the damage the anti-semitism crisis was wreaking on Labour,” said the Daily Mirror. But by apologising for it – albeit belatedly and in an online video – he has gone some way to putting things right.
On the contrary, said The Daily Telegraph, Corbyn is still failing properly to confront this issue. He promises urgent action, but when it comes to the key issue of explicit definitions of anti-semitism, he responds with “Soviet-esque institutional lethargy”, saying there will be a “dialogue with community organisations” as part of a “consultation”. The reason for his foot-dragging is clear enough: he knows that fully cracking down on the anti-semitism problem would oblige him to purge his party of many “anti-israeli obsessives” whose opinions he largely shares. There’s little evidence that Corbyn is prepared to confront the “nasty elements” in his party, said the Daily Mail. That’s too bad. Labour members who have spoken out about anti-semitism, such as Watson and Emily Benn, the granddaughter of left-wing stalwart Tony, have faced appalling threats and abuse. It just shows “how far this party has sunk into the swamp of bigotry and hate”.