Church refuses to host Labour activist group
LABOUR LEADER Jeremy Corbyn last week defended controversial MP Chris Williamson, saying the backbencher was an “anti-racist campaigner” and “not antisemitic”.
Mr Williamson was branded a “Jew baiter” by Jewish Labour Movement Chair Ivor Caplin in December after he signed a petition defending notorious antisemite Gilad Atzmon, for which he later apologised. In October, on the day of the Pittsburgh synagogue terrorist attack, he posted a Twitter message attacking the Board of Deputies.
The Derby MP has called accusations of antisemitism within the Labour Party “smears” and the JLM has called for him to be suspended from the party.
But speaking to local paper Derbyshire Live, Mr Corbyn said: “Chris Williamson is a very good, very effective Labour MP. He’s a very strong anti-racist campaigner. He is not antisemitic in any way.”
Mr Williamson has also defended former Labour member Scott Nelson, who was expelled from the party after tweeting about “Jewish companies” with “Jewish blood…exploiting workers abroad”.
After initially denying that Mr Nelson had made such comments, describing them as “smears”, he then said Mr Nelson “repeatedly apologised for those comments. He is opposed to all forms of racism and bigotry… please give him a chance.”
A GROUP that defends Labour members accused of antisemitism and brands such allegations as “smears” has lost the venue for its annual conference at the last minute after a backlash from Jewish campaigners.
Labour Against The Witchhunt (LAW) has attracted controversy after insisting the majority of allegations of antisemitism against party members are part of a “smear campaign”.
Many of LAW’s members are themselves activists who have been suspended or expelled, including Tony Greenstein and Jackie Walker.
The Askew Road Church in Shepherd’s Bush, West London withdrew its offer to host LAW’s first-ever conference after members of Left Wing Zionists for Labour raised concerns.
In an email, the church said: “As a result of your email and our subsequent investigation into this booking we have now cancelled the conference at Askew Road.
“We can also assure you that we will never accept such a booking in the future.
“I can only apologise to you for our lack of understanding of what views LAW represents when we accepted this booking.”
Stephane Savary, of Left Wing Zionists for Labour, welcomed the decision. He told the JC: “It was evident [the church] didn’t know who was behind LAW. They had been told they were an antiracist organisation.
“After they reviewed the evidence we sent to them, they apologised for having agreed to rent a room to LAW.”
Mr Savary called on LAW to be expelled
from the party.
LAW lost a high-profile supporter last year when Jeremy Corbyn-supporting barrister Michael Mansfield said he was distancing himself from the group after being “alerted to material being promulgated by the campaign”. Mr Mansfield is believed to have ended his association with LAW after he was shown inflammatory social media posts by people connected the group that used the term “Zio” and called Jewish Labour MPs “racist scum”.
LAW went ahead with Saturday’s conference at an alternate venue, near to the Emirates Stadium in Islington, North London.
Speakers included Ms Walker and Moshe Machover, the veteran Tel Avivborn anti-Zionist. Topics that were discussed included “the slow coup against Jeremy Corbyn”.
LAW also said its conference was picketed by activists associated with far-right groups.
A LAW spokesman said: “We managed to hold a successful and wellattended first conference, which decided that we will continue to fight for the democratisation of the Labour Party, the radical overhaul of Labour’s disciplinary process and that we will continue to campaign in solidarity with oppressed peoples everywhere (which naturally includes support for the Palestinian people).”