The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) has called on the Labour party in the UK to address the growing problem of anti-Semitism in its ranks. This follows the suspension of ex-mayor Ken Livingston who said that Hitler had supported Zionism in the 1930s before “he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews”. Over the last week, the party further suspended 50 of its members over anti-Semitism and racist comments, as well as three councillors over a series of posts on Twitter and Facebook. In April, Naz Shah, MP, was suspended over a 2014 Facebook post in which she shared a map of the US under the headline “Solution for Israel-Palestine Conflict – Relocate Israel into United States”, with the comment: “Problem solved”.
Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell has acknowledged that, “There clearly is an issue with anti-Semitism in the Labour Party otherwise we wouldn’t have spent the best part of the last six or seven days talking about it.”
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chair of The ADC, issued the following statement:
“The troubling events of the last week pose a serious challenge for the Labour party. It must take all necessary steps to ensure that any manifestations of anti-Semitism within its ranks are exposed and dealt with vigorously and effectively. Anti-Semitism and all manifestations of bigotry must never be allowed to become acceptable and find a home inside a political party. While Labour Chairman Jeremy Corbyn has stated that anti-Semitism is “not a huge problem” in the Labour party, the suspensions and the number of incidents that have been reported are clearly a serious cause of concern. The leadership of the Labour party must decisively and openly denounce any comments of religious and racial tolerance. They must also condemn instances where legitimate criticism of Israel crosses the line into delegitimization, demonisation and anti-Zionism. We welcome the announcement that an independent inquiry into allegations of anti-Semitism in the party has been launched. We look forward to the publication of the report, and to the steps that the Mr. Corbyn and the party will implement following its conclusions and recommendations.”
The Anti-Defamation Commission, founded in 1979, is Australia’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through educational programs that combat bigotry, prejudice and all forms of hatred.
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272 5677
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