If you’ve never witnessed antisemitism in Labour, who was that man you silenced at Momentum?
Jewish Voice chair Manson is told to stop trying to cover up Jew-hate examples and to ‘call them out’
THE CHAIR of Jewish Voice For Labour has been accused of being “disingenuous” after the JC confirmed she had witnessed antisemitism at a Momentum meeting, despite publicly maintaining since that she has never seen it within the party.
Jenny Manson heard an audience member talk about the history of racism during an invitation-only meeting she chaired on behalf of the left-wing campaign group, which supports Mr Corbyn and to which only Labour members can belong.
When he referred to, “the chosen people”, she asked the man to stop and later, after he left, asked the audience if he was a Labour member, saying: “This is the first time I’ve heard such a comment at a Labour Party meeting.”
Since then, Ms Manson has told the press, including the JC and BBC Radio Four, that “none of us in my group has ever experienced any antisemitism within the Labour Party”.
Amanda Bowman, vicepresident of the Board of Deputies, said: “After years of antisemitism in the Labour Party, the claim by Jenny Manson that she has ‘never seen any’ antisemitism in the Labour Party is disingenuous.
“JVL and Jenny Manson should stop trying to cover this up and start calling it out.”
Speaking to the JC,
Ms Manson said the Momentum meeting in question was held so that members could hear antiZionist activist Moshe Machover discuss his expulsion from Labour and subsequent reinstatement last year.
She said: “I don’t know who the man was [who made antisemitic remarks] but he was making comments about the First World War, bankers and Rothschilds and I asked him to stop and I think he then left.
“At the meeting, there were several Jewish members of the audience who were not happy about what a member of the audience was saying. I don’t think Moshe was happy with it either and I asked the man to stop speaking.”
But she argued there was “no way of knowing if he was a Labour member or not” and stood by her comments that she has never seen or experienced any antisemitism in the party.
“There must be some, and I know some exists online, but I have never seen any. I have not experienced antisemitism in the Labour party in north London,” she said.
In an interview in June, she suggested such stories had been exaggerated to smear the Labour leader.
“There might be very serious evidence. But I haven’t seen any of it,” she said at the time.
“If there are allegations, they have to be investigated by the Labour Party. I have every sympathy for people who experience antisemitism, but there has been an alarming determination for this to drown out other issues.” Ms Manson said she had no way of knowing who the man was because “people come to meetings all the time”.
Ms Manson did say that she had experienced Islamophobia within Labour and described the problem as “worrying”.
“I have noticed in Labour Party correspondence over the years that there is a quick condemnation of Muslim views on homosexuality or adultery.
“People are quick to put the ill treatment of women and Islam together without referencing other religions’ practices.”
A spokesperson for Barnet Momentum said: “The man in question was not a Momentum member.
“He was immediately challenged by the chair and from the floor. Invitations were sent to Momentum members, but at the time people could sign up to our email list without being a paid-up member. We have fixed this now.”
The Community Security Trust said JVL “exists in order to deny Jeremy Corbyn’s antisemitism problem”.
“Their antics help no one: not them, not us and certainly not the Labour leadership,” a spokesperson said.
I don’t know who he was but I asked him to stop’