Labour Party anti Semitism

Jeremy Corbyn declines to apologize to Jews over Labour anti-Semitism

Pressed repeatedly in BBC interview, UK opposition leader won’t express regret, says chief rabbi is wrong and he is ‘determined that our society be safe for people of all faiths’ 

By TOI STAFF26 November 2019, 11:19 pm  10

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Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks during the launch of the party race and faith manifesto, in London, on November 26, 2019. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn repeatedly declined to apologize to British Jewry for his handling of anti-Semitism in his party, during an interview with the BBC on Tuesday evening.

The BBC’s Andrew Neil pressed Corbyn several times to apologize to the Jewish community, in the wake of Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis’s statementthat Britain’s Jews were “gripped by anxiety” over the future of the community in the country, amid the prospect of a Labour win in the December 12 election.

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Asked by Neil about Mirvis’s assertion that his claim to have investigated all allegations of anti-Semitism by Labour members was a “mendacious fiction,” Corbyn dismissed the chief rabbi’s statement, answering that ““He’s not right. He would have to produce the evidence to say that’s mendacious.”

He said he looked “forward to having a discussion with him because I want to hear why he would say such a thing.”

Corbyn also boasted of his efforts to strengthen Labour’s “process” for handling anti-Semitism complaints and denied that anti-Semitism increased “after I became leader.”

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis speaks at a National Holocaust Memorial Day event at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, on January 26, 2017, in London, England. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images/File)

In a widely viewed documentary aired by the BBC this summer, former Labour staff members recounted being subjected to anti-Semitic abuse, and alleged that senior party officials interfered in investigations of complaints.

Polls suggest that just six percent of UK Jews plan to vote Labour. Nearly half say they would “seriously consider” emigrating if Corbyn — a man 87% of those polled believe is an anti-Semite — gets to Downing Street.

Jewish groups have accused Corbyn, a far-left politician, of allowing a massive rise in anti-Semitism within the ranks of the party that was once considered the natural home of British Jewry. Thousands of cases of alleged hate speech against Jews have been recorded within Labour since 2015, when Corbyn was elected to lead the party.

Much of the fear of Corbyn is spurred by revelations about his past record that have emerged since he became Labour leader. These include him describing Hamas and Hezbollah as “friends”; defending an anti-Semitic mural in East London; and a seeming willingness to associate with alleged anti-Semites, terrorists, and Holocaust-deniers. The party is currently being formally investigated by the UK’s anti-racism watchdog.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis speaks at a National Holocaust Memorial Day event at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, on January 26, 2017, in London, England. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images/File)

In a widely viewed documentary aired by the BBC this summer, former Labour staff members recounted being subjected to anti-Semitic abuse, and alleged that senior party officials interfered in investigations of complaints.

Polls suggest that just six percent of UK Jews plan to vote Labour. Nearly half say they would “seriously consider” emigrating if Corbyn — a man 87% of those polled believe is an anti-Semite — gets to Downing Street.

Jewish groups have accused Corbyn, a far-left politician, of allowing a massive rise in anti-Semitism within the ranks of the party that was once considered the natural home of British Jewry. Thousands of cases of alleged hate speech against Jews have been recorded within Labour since 2015, when Corbyn was elected to lead the party.

Much of the fear of Corbyn is spurred by revelations about his past record that have emerged since he became Labour leader. These include him describing Hamas and Hezbollah as “friends”; defending an anti-Semitic mural in East London; and a seeming willingness to associate with alleged anti-Semites, terrorists, and Holocaust-deniers. The party is currently being formally investigated by the UK’s anti-racism watchdog.