COMMENTARY
LAST week, the paper I edit, the
Jewish Chronicle, did something unprecedented in our 178-year history. Our front page was addressed not to our usual readers but to non-jews.
We asked you, our fellow citizens, to consider what it feels like to be a British Jew at a time when the Leader of the Opposition – our possible next prime minister – is believed by 87 per cent of Jews to be an anti-semite. And we asked you, when you cast your vote, to remember that.
Four years ago, when Jeremy Corbyn was running for the Labour leadership, the Jewish Chronicle highlighted seven troubling instances in which Mr Corbyn had allied with, supported or defended proven Jew haters. Instances such as his description of Hamas as “friends”, when it is a terrorist organisation dedicated in its founding charter to completing Hitler’s work and exterminating every Jew from the face of the earth.
The examples we cited were in his past. It was possible, some thought, that as leader he might change and grow. But the opposite has happened. Under Mr Corbyn’s leadership, Labour has become an institutionally racist party. Indeed it is now under statutory investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission – the only party other than the BNP ever to be investigated.
Mr Corbyn makes the occasional statement condemning anti-semitism but in reality under his leadership Labour has done next to nothing about its own anti-semites. Mr Corbyn is the Pied Piper of Jew haters; they are attracted to the Labour Party because of his presence. But unlike the Pied Piper, he does nothing about them. Indeed, as a BBC Panorama showed with revelations from a series of whistleblowers, the Labour leadership has actively worked to stop action against anti-semites.
Sickeningly, John Mcdonnell reacted onthursday to our front page by claiming that Labour had done everything asked of it by the Jewish community.that was simply a lie.the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Leadership Council and Labour’s own Jewish organisation, the Jewish Labour Movement, remain incandescent with anger over the contempt with which they and their recommendations to
Labour have been treated. Labour remain as riddled as before with racists – and remain as committed as before to denying it, with its National Executive Committee this week handing some of them constituencies to fight in next
‘Labour remain as riddled as before with racists – and remain as committed as before to denying it’
month’s election. It has only been when their anti-semitism has been exposed by the media that some of them have been forced to withdraw.
This is all part of the reason why in a poll last month, 47 per cent of British Jews said they are seriously considering emigrating if Mr Corbyn takes power. It is unlikely that so many of us will leave but that is hardly the point.who would have imagined before Mr Corbyn became Labour leader that one of this country’s most longstanding and patriotic ethnic minorities would so fear the prospect of one of our mainstream parties taking office that we would have to talk about leaving?what a damning indictment of Corbyn’s Labour.
We believe that the overwhelming majority of British people abhor racism. We ask only that, when you cast your vote, you act on that.