Why Have So Many Labour Politicians Been Caught Making Statements that Sound Antisemitic? -

Luke Reader received a Ph.D. in History from University of California, Irvine. He is currently researching internationalism and the Labour Party. He teaches in the SAGES program at Case Western Reserve University and at John Carroll University.  

Many in the British Labour Party will not look back on the past week fondly. A party that has spent decades advancing the cause of racial equality now finds itself at the center of the recrudescence of antisemitism in public life. The crisis began after a Labour MP, Naz Shah, shared antisemitic Facebook posts comparing Israel and the Nazis and recommending the “transportation” of Israelis to the USA. Shah was suspended from the party and quickly admitted her wrongdoing. Despite this, the former MP and mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, defended her. He insisted that Shah was “the victim of a well orchestrated campaign by the Israel lobby,” claimed, wrongly, that Hitler supported Zionism “before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews,” and stated, “A real anti-Semite doesn’t just hate the Jews in Israel.” Unsurprisingly, Livingstone too was suspended.
The controversy is not a one-week phenomenon. Its antecedents reveal the changing nature of anti-Jewish prejudice in Britain.

Over the past decade, perspectives on Israel have changed in the Labour Party. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is partly to blame. Under Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn, Labour gradually abandoned the positions of Tony Blair. Whereas Blair strongly supported the Israeli war against Hezbollah in 2006, Miliband condemned the “unacceptable and unjustifiable” targeting of civilians by Israel during the 2014 Gaza conflict. Corbyn supports a boycott of agricultural produce from West Bank settlements and the severing of links to Israeli universities that conduct research for the IDF. Several trade unions, including Unite, Unison, and the GMB, amongst the largest donors to Labour, have adopted Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) as official policy. Jewish support for the Labour Party has declined. Before the 2015 general election, only 22% of voters expressed a preference Labour.
But something more malign is afoot. Earlier this year, readers of the Jewish Chronicle found the headline “Labour’s Shame” blaring from the doorstep. The newspaper drew attention to language on the far-left fringes of the party that attempted to delegitimize Israel and its supporters by equating Zionism and Nazism, denouncing opponents of BDS as racists, and proclaiming antisemitic conspiracy theories. A dismal procession of minor party officials have been expelled for praising Hitler, demanding the destruction of Israel, or hurling antisemitic abuse at supporters of Israel. Jewish students in Labour Party clubs on university campuses report frequent use of pejoratives, the stifling of debates opposing BDS, and the dismissal of complaints about racial abuse.

The nature of antisemitism has changed. The Aliens Act(1905), preventing Jews fleeing the Russian pogroms from seeking sanctuary in Britain, and the decision of 1930s governments to limit entry to refugees from Nazi Germany, reflected fears of difference. But subsequently, assimilation, intermarriage, and falling Christian observance led Jews to be seen as part of, rather than apart from, the nation. David Cesarani points out that in Britain, and much of Europe, “Jews are not isolated, as they were in the 1930s and 1940s, but find themselves enjoying unprecedented solidarity.”
Nevertheless, Anthony Julius shows that while cultural, social, economic, and religious prejudices have waned, they still exist, often alongside a pernicious anti-Zionism. Let’s be clear: there is nothing anti-Jewish in criticizing the actions of the IDF, settlement building, the occupation of the West Bank, or the discrimination shown towards Arab minorities in Israel. But suggestions that supporters of Israel suffer from a moral deficiency, that the existence of Israel is illegitimate, that Israel, alone of all countries should be subject to special punishment for its transgressions, or that an organized conspiracy impels Israeli interests, carry ominous intonations of the past.

Demographic change helps explain the growing acceptance of Jews. Until the late 1950s, Jews were the largest minority in Britain. Thereafter, immigration from the West Indies, India, Pakistan, and former colonies in Africa, transformed Britain into a racially diverse and multicultural society. But at a moment in which ideas of Britishness were in flux, conceptions of whiteness expanded to include Jews. Labour identifies as an avowedly anti-racist party. Labour governments passed the Race Relations Acts (1965, 1976, 2000) and established a Commission for Racial Equality. In the 1990s and 2000s, the administrations of Tony Blair began attempts to dismantle institutionalized forms of racism endemic to public life, and pushed for the humane treatment of immigrants and refugees despite media and internal party opposition. The Labour Party is not antisemitic. Most members, officials, and MPs are horrified about the controversy. But the fact that I need to explain this suggests a problem exists.

Complacency is one concern. The commitment to fighting racism is not matched by vigilance over antisemitism. Corbyn has fought for Palestinian rights for decades. But he has done so carelessly, speaking at and funding events for a group led by a Holocaust denier, and describing representatives of Hamas and Hezbollah as “friends.” The MP Diane Abbott, and Unite leader Len McCluskey, both allies of Corbyn, described the latest controversy as a “smear” and as “mood music.” Corbyn initially told the BBC “there’s no crisis.” More broadly, some members distinguish antisemitism from anti-Zionism, or deny that anti-Jewish prejudice is equal to other forms of racism.

Unexamined is what the crisis looks like to British Jews. Despite unease over Israeli policies, 93 percent say that Israel forms part of their identity. Recent events do more than give offense. They belittle a core sense of being for many of Britain’s 280,000 Jews. The antisemitism crisis belongs to Labour’s far-left flank. These are the margins where Corbyn toiled for decades as a backbencher and, as an unpopular leader with MPs, has brought into the party mainstream. Corbyn has recruited thousands of new members, but senior figures worry they include hard-left factions hostile to Israel, hitherto prevented from joining the party. An independent inquiry into antisemitism has been announced, but MPs feel Corbyn cannot manage the crisis.
There is no suggestion that Jeremy Corbyn is an antisemite, but there is a suspicion that some of his friends are.

- See more at: http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/162740#sthash.vHWxaVHI.dpuf

Statement on “Labour’s problem with antisemitism”
From the Jewish Socialists’ Group
Antisemitism exists and must be exposed and fought against in the same way as other forms of racism by all who are concerned with combating racism and fascism.
Antisemitism and anti-Zionism are not the same. Zionism is a political ideology which has always been contested within Jewish life since it emerged in 1897, and it is entirely legitimate for non-Jews as well as Jews to express opinions about it, whether positive or negative. Not all Jews are Zionists. Not all Zionists are Jews.
Criticism of Israeli government policy and Israeli state actions against the Palestinians is not antisemitism. Those who conflate criticism of Israeli policy with antisemitism, whether they are supporters or opponents of Israeli policy, are actually helping the antisemites. We reject any attempt, from whichever quarter, to place legitimate criticism of Israeli policy out of bounds.
Accusations of antisemitism are currently being weaponised to attack the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour party with claims that Labour has a “problem” of antisemitism. This is despite Corbyn’s longstanding record of actively opposing fascism and all forms of racism, and being a firm a supporter of the rights of refugees and of human rights globally.
A very small number of such cases seem to be real instances of antisemitism. Others represent genuine criticism of Israeli policy and support for Palestinian rights, but expressed in clumsy and ambiguous language, which may unknowingly cross a line into antisemitism. Further cases are simply forthright expressions of support for Palestinian rights, which condemn Israeli government policy and aspects of Zionist ideology, and have nothing whatsoever to do with antisemitism.
The accusations do not refer to antisemitic actions but usually to comments, often made on social media, long before Jeremy Corbyn won the Labour leadership. Those making the charges now, did not see fit to bring them up at the time, under previous Labour leaders, but are using them now, just before mayoral and local elections, when they believe they can inflict most damage on the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn.
The attack is coming from four main sources, who share agendas: to undermine Jeremy Corbyn as leader of Labour; to defend Israeli government policy from attack, however unjust, racist and harmful towards the Palestinian people; and to discredit those who make legitimate criticisms of Israeli policy or Zionism as a political ideology. As anti-racist and anti-fascist Jews who are also campaigning for peace with justice between Israelis and Palestinians, we entirely reject these cynical agendas that are being expressed by:
• The Conservative Party
• Conservative-supporting media in Britain and pro-Zionist Israeli media sources
• Right-wing and pro-Zionist elements claiming to speak on behalf of the Jewish community
• Opponents of Jeremy Corbyn within the Labour party.
The Jewish Socialists’ Group recognises that ordinary Jewish people are rightly concerned and fearful about instances of antisemitism. We share their concerns and a have a proud and consistent record of challenging and campaigning against antisemitism. But we will not support those making false accusations for cynical political motives, including the Conservative Party, who are running a racist campaign against Sadiq Khan, and whose leader David Cameron has referred to desperate refugees, as “a swarm” and “a bunch of migrants”. The Conservative Party demonstrated their contempt for Lord Dubs, a Jewish refugee from Nazism, when they voted down en masse an amendment a few days ago to allow 3,000 child refugees into Britain while Labour, led by Jeremy Corbyn, gave total support to Lord Dubs and his amendment.
The Jewish Socialists’ Group sees the current fearmongering about antisemitism in the Labour Party for what it is – a conscious and concerted effort by right-wing political forces to undermine the growing support among Jews and non-Jews alike for the Labour Party leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, and a measure of the desperation of his opponents.
We stand against antisemitism, against racism and fascism and in support of refugees. We stand for free speech and open debate on Israel, Palestine and Zionism.

http://www.jewishsocialist.org.uk/news/item/statement-on-labours-problem-with-antisemitism-from-the-jewish-socialists-g

Because they are Nazis who love Muslims and hate jews.

No, because they are the people who stand up for the oppressed, and would have stood up against the Nazi's and Mosley and who are now standing up against Israel and will not be intimidated by the get out clause that Israel uses against condemnation of it's terrorist policies.

Note there has been nothing in the media about the shelling by Israel of Gaza again this month.   Israel pretends that is because of a few rockets from Gaza that landed in agricultural land, forgetting that for months and months they have been killing Gazan farmers in their fields, killing Gazan fishermen in their own sea, coming over the border with tanks to chew up more Gazan land and shooting the kids who protest about it ON THE GAZAN SIDE OF THE BORDER.

sassy wrote:No, because they are the people who stand up for the oppressed, and would have stood up against the Nazi's and Mosley and who are now standing up against Israel and will not be intimidated by the get out clause that Israel uses against condemnation of it's terrorist policies.

Note there has been nothing in the media about the shelling by Israel of Gaza again this month.   Israel pretends that is because of a few rockets from Gaza that landed in agricultural land, forgetting that for months and months they have been killing Gazan farmers in their fields, killing Gazan fishermen in their own sea, coming over the border with tanks to chew up more Gazan land and shooting the kids who protest about it ON THE GAZAN SIDE OF THE BORDER.

What a load of bullshit.
You look to opress Jews, with constant liews, like claiming Israel is like the Nazi's or Apartheid
That is oppression to even assert such bullshit
Then with have more bullshit and even worse failing to understand the rules of engagement.
Everytime you ignore that Hamas continues to comit war crimes by firing rockets into civillian areas.
You think because most do not find their mark, Israel should just sit and suck it up.
No person in the world would stand for people deliberately trying to murder them.
Israel on the other hand is the only nation in the world that goes to extreme lenghs to ensure to minimise civillian casulties.
What you fail to grasp is if they carried out every singe attack to a military target as other nations do, then the civillian death toll would be 20 times higher.
Its idiots like you that fail to see the racist hate you promote and excuse the continued violence from Hamas and incitement by Fatah.
At every turn you ignore that they simple refuse to except the existance of Israel and you even argue to deligitimise and dehumanise them by even using antisemitism in the form of trying to deny their very history.

Their job is to stand up for the interests of the British people...

Paul Ettinger wrote:

sassy wrote:No, because they are the people who stand up for the oppressed, and would have stood up against the Nazi's and Mosley and who are now standing up against Israel and will not be intimidated by the get out clause that Israel uses against condemnation of it's terrorist policies.

Note there has been nothing in the media about the shelling by Israel of Gaza again this month.   Israel pretends that is because of a few rockets from Gaza that landed in agricultural land, forgetting that for months and months they have been killing Gazan farmers in their fields, killing Gazan fishermen in their own sea, coming over the border with tanks to chew up more Gazan land and shooting the kids who protest about it ON THE GAZAN SIDE OF THE BORDER.

What a load of bullshit.
You look to opress Jews, with constant liews, like claiming Israel is like the Nazi's or Apartheid
That is oppression to even assert such bullshit
Then with have more bullshit and even worse failing to understand the rules of engagement.
Everytime you ignore that Hamas continues to comit war crimes by firing rockets into civillian areas.
You think because most do not find their mark, Israel should just sit and suck it up.
No person in the world would stand for people deliberately trying to murder them.
Israel on the other hand is the only nation in the world that goes to extreme lenghs to ensure to minimise civillian casulties.
What you fail to grasp is if they carried out every singe attack to a military target as other nations do, then the civillian death toll would be 20 times higher.
Its idiots like you that fail to see the racist hate you promote and excuse the continued violence from Hamas and incitement by Fatah.
At every turn you ignore that they simple refuse to except the existance of Israel and you even argue to deligitimise and dehumanise them by even using antisemitism in the form of trying to deny their very history.

You are a liar, and out and out liar and you will never ever silence me.  Israel has a right to exist, it's doesn't have the right to stop others existing.   It doesn't have the right to steal land and kill thousands on their own land.  It doesn't have the right to steal their water, stop them farming, stop them fishing, throw them out of their homes that they have deeds for.   It doesn't have the right to stop their movement in their own land or kill their children for throwing stones when their own children do it in front of the IDF and get applauded for doing it.   Israel does not acknowledge Palestine but demands everyone acknowledges itself.  Israel uses Gaza to test it's weapon on, it fries children in white phosphorus, it's settlers attack Palestinians on their own land every day and the IDF helps them and covers them.   You will never, ever silence us.   You can use as many slurs as you like, you can print as much hasbara as you like.   In the end, justice will win and so many over the world are now saying.

sassy wrote:

Paul Ettinger wrote:


What a load of bullshit.
You look to opress Jews, with constant liews, like claiming Israel is like the Nazi's or Apartheid
That is oppression to even assert such bullshit
Then with have more bullshit and even worse failing to understand the rules of engagement.
Everytime you ignore that Hamas continues to comit war crimes by firing rockets into civillian areas.
You think because most do not find their mark, Israel should just sit and suck it up.
No person in the world would stand for people deliberately trying to murder them.
Israel on the other hand is the only nation in the world that goes to extreme lenghs to ensure to minimise civillian casulties.
What you fail to grasp is if they carried out every singe attack to a military target as other nations do, then the civillian death toll would be 20 times higher.
Its idiots like you that fail to see the racist hate you promote and excuse the continued violence from Hamas and incitement by Fatah.
At every turn you ignore that they simple refuse to except the existance of Israel and you even argue to deligitimise and dehumanise them by even using antisemitism in the form of trying to deny their very history.

You are a liar, and out and out liar and you will never ever silence me.

Paul Ettinger wrote: I just need to expose you for the vile racist that you are, which is evident to many how you even tried to defend Livingston who even many lefties shook their heads in disgust at his cliams, of which you have still failed to answer now on two threads where I gave you facts.

Israel has a right to exist, it's doesn't have the right to stop others existing.  

Paul Ettinger wrote: It has never stopped anyone else from existing. You seem to forget it was Palestinians that started all this when both in 1937 and 1947, they refused to recognise the self determination of the Jews. Yet at every turn you make excuses for this, where Israel has constantly been attacked. When Germany invaded Poland, and was defeated with over 16 million refugees, what did the Germans do? Except they were the aggressors, and took in all these refugees from lands that had actually been Germanic for centuries. You see, you would never call for the right of the return for these many East Prussian Germans or Sudetenland Germans for a right of return, as their numbers would exceed both the Polish and Czech populations, making them a minority in their own nations Most Palestinians had been immigrants themselves from Syria etc, which is why its disgusting how the Palestinian refugeess are kept in appalling conditions in Arab countries, for only one purpose, opposition to the state of Israel.

It doesn't have the right to steal land and kill thousands on their own land.  It doesn't have the right to steal their water, stop them farming, stop them fishing, throw them out of their homes that they have deeds for. 

Paul Ettinger wrote:Stole what land? It was formely the British Mandate for Palestine, they refused to even create their own state, and they have had 4 chances to do so. If Israel did not provide food, water, etc, they would not be alive, so your claims are nonsense as per usual. You forget how well the West Bank is doing and in fact every crossing in Gaza is closes with Eygpt, its not with Israel though is it and many are able to use Israeli hospitals, all of which you ignore and even worse try to dehumanise the Israeli doctors by spinning lies,

 It doesn't have the right to stop their movement in their own land or kill their children for throwing stones when their own children do it in front of the IDF and get applauded for doing it.  

Paul Ettinger wrote: Yes it does have a right ro defend its people from rock attacks that have killed people,. all of which the same has happened in the US. You think people throwing rocks is an imbalance in weaponary, neglecting that such attacks do and have killed Israelis and Israeli Arabs. You should be condemning the rock attacks, but disgustingly look to defend the violence instead. peace comes by wanting peace, not using violence. Have you learn nothing in regards to how Apartheid ended? It came about because White and Black South Africans wanted change and helped the likes of Mandela bring about change. He sought reconcilliation and you also fail to see the boycotts never even brought an end to Apartheid, the most they did was bring it to the worlds attention

Israel does not acknowledge Palestine but demands everyone acknowledges itself.  Israel uses Gaza to test it's weapon on, it fries children in white phosphorus, it's settlers attack Palestinians on their own land every day and the IDF helps them and covers them.   You will never, ever silence us.   You can use as many slurs as you like, you can print as much hasbara as you like.   In the end, justice will win and so many over the world are now saying.

You last part is sheer bullshit as they have offered to the Palestinians the chance to have peace and a nation and each time they have turned this down and why? Because they simply refuse to recvognise Israel's existance, that is why their teachings always view all israel as occupied. You neglect Hamas builds no bomb shelters has fired weapons from hospitals and schools, and demanded the Gazans to be humans shields and you crap on about Phosphurus, ignoring this blatnat abuses of human rights by Hamas.
Peace is brought about by taking peace, not refusing peace as the Palestinians have done. With the Oslo accords Arafat initiated the Second Intifada.
So please spare the forum your biased nonsense of the conflict.
Yes israel is wrong with settlements, some acts by the IDF are wrong, as by the governement, but how it is attacked constantly when you ignore actual human right abusers like Iran, is a joke. The biggest point is though, the Arabs have been murdered Jews for well over a century in the region, because they simply will not recognise Jewish self determinatiion

Blah, blah blah, who give a flying fuck what a hasbara troll like you thinks.

sassy wrote:Blah, blah blah, who give a flying fuck what a hasbara troll like you thinks.

And I get to sit back in the knowledge that Karma has got the best of a racist low life scum like you and that Karma is beautiful Sassy

I'm not the one who has to fear Karma dodge, that's gonna get you for sure.

Karma...how?

eddie wrote:Karma...how?

Well, has he's turned into Smelly, he's not live as a happy boy is he.

sassy wrote:I'm not the one who has to fear Karma dodge, that's gonna get you for sure.

Buts itas already got you big time sassy
That is what happens to vile hateful people like you and we both know it

I see once I rubbish sassy's points, she does her best to deflect

lol, Everytime you post sassy, I smile

Got to love Karma

Paul Ettinger wrote:

sassy wrote:I'm not the one who has to fear Karma dodge, that's gonna get you for sure.

Buts itas already got you big time sassy
That is what happens to vile hateful people like you and we both know it

Yes Dodge, I know you think you are wonderful and clever and all the rest of it, whereas people laugh at you.   Now trot back to Stormfront or the EDL website, you are so at home there.

They're coming across as antisemitic in their haste to defend Palestinians.

Raggamuffin wrote:They're coming across as antisemitic in their haste to defend Palestinians.

Don't be ignorant, Palestinians are semites, not all Israeli's are, and it is not anti semetic to tell Israel to stop its terror policies and murders.

sassy wrote:

Paul Ettinger wrote:

Buts itas already got you big time sassy
That is what happens to vile hateful people like you and we both know it

Yes Dodge, I know you think you are wonderful and clever and all the rest of it, whereas people laugh at you.   Now trot back to Stormfront or the EDL website, you are so at home there.

Stassi, Stassi, Stassi, you defended people suspended for antisemitism, and you still are defending these scum
Its all people need to know and understand about you.
For years that other low life Sexy fooled me with her claim to care about peace, whcih she is another antisemite
You two are made for each other, both low life racists.
I am just appalled at myself that I was taken in by such racists as I once was, but luckily I saw past the bullshit in the end

sassy wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:They're coming across as antisemitic in their haste to defend Palestinians.

Don't be ignorant, Palestinians are semites, not all Israeli's are, and it is not anti semetic to tell Israel to stop its terror policies and murders.

So they cannot be antisemitic now?

There you have it, sassy now defending claming Arabs, cannot be antisemitic

Priceless

Antisemitism (also spelled anti-Semitism or anti-semitism) is hostility, prejudice or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism

sassy wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:They're coming across as antisemitic in their haste to defend Palestinians.

Don't be ignorant, Palestinians are semites, not all Israeli's are, and it is not anti semetic to tell Israel to stop its terror policies and murders.

Stop splitting hairs. Everyone knows that antisemitism refers to Jews in common usage. I'm not saying they are antisemitic, I'm saying that they're coming across that way, and they need to be very very careful.