Labour failed in its duty to make the party a safe space for Jewish people, writes Progress director Richard Angell
Yesterday Labour launched its local election campaign with the slogan ‘Standing up for you’. By the end of day it was shown to be utterly meaningless.
I have never felt more ashamed to be a member of the Labour party. Last night, Labour – not just the National Constitution Committee but the whole party – failed in its duty to make Labour a safe space for Jewish people. The judgement on Ken Livingstone’s appalling remarks on Hitler and Germany’s Jews is as insufficient as it is overdue. His comments were beyond the pale at the time, and every time he has sought to clarify them, he has just caused more offence.
The decision is the worst case scenario. The NCC believe – on three counts – Livingstone brought the Labour party into disrepute. The punishment – to be barred from standing for public and party office for two years with 11 months already served – is not even a slap on the wrist. Some would be it it as reward to not be allowed to be a branch treasurer, for goodness sake.
The only good thing about the appalling decision is we can with absolute clarity say claims Labour has a ‘zero tolerance on antisemitism’ is just spin. The reality is if you are part of Jeremy Corbyn’s new elite in the Labour there is no remark is too grave. The rhetoric as an anti-racist party is meaningless in reality and it will be hard for Labour to recover.
It simply is not good enough for Corbyn to hide behind the process here. He should be showing leadership and get Livingstone out. The disgraced former mayor of London should not have been allowed to try and parse his way out of what have been repeated offensive and upsetting comments to many people both inside and out of the Jewish community, let alone ever be allowed back in the party.
I stand with the Jewish Labour Movement and agree with their view that this is ‘revolving door for repeat offenders’. I apologise to my Jewish friends and fellow party members – you have been failed.
There should be no ambiguity on antisemitism. The fact that has to be said makes a mockery of what Labour is and the 100 years it has has fought for equality. In Corbyn’s Labour there is not just ambiguity – the party, its leader and more besides do not ‘stand up’, they actively stand by.
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Richard Angell is director of Progress. He tweets at @RichardAngell
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Richard,
When you say “I stand with the Jewish Labour Movement”. Which Jewish Labour movement do you mean? Obviously not the signatories to this letter.
http://www.writeyou.co.uk/letter_from_jewish_members
Is that six articles Progress has published on the same subject in as many hours? Its beginning to look like a witch hunt, you know the sort of thing, pick on a minority or an individual, shout louder than the next guy, whip up a bit of hysteria, obviously, avoid the facts.
I know this sentence is a waste of time, replying to comments on articles you write is not your style, but I will try anyway, Richard, please explain, why do you think it is that the Labour Party has Jewish members that feel so strongly that Ken Livingstone has done nothing wrong they are prepared to publish letters of support?
So a committee of the party reviews the evidence and comes up with a decision you do not agree with so you refuse to accept it and demand it comes up with a judgement that is in accordance with your views. If you had not spent the last 2 years attacking Corbyn on all fronts and for all things I would have more sympathy for your position since Livingstone seems to have lost his reason. Nor does it help to use exaggerated comments about Jewish members physical safety in the party which you know to be false.
Or if you had just once criticised Tony and Gordon over Iraq and suggested that there actions should be reviewed for bringing the party into disrepute then we could see that you had some balance to your views.
Some of us are still ashamed of our party’s actions in support of the invasion of Iraq, the pointless bombing of Syria and the loss of life in Afghanistan. And its failure to criticise Israel for its illegal settlements in Palestine. Hopefully the Jewish Labour Movement will show us its progressive side by taking this issue forward.
The idea that this wasnt antisemitic is ridiculous.
Expelling the Jews was just as antisemitic as the final solution and one directly led to the other.
Would a Labour Party member who supported expelling ethnic minority citizens not be expelled as a racist? Of course they would and should.
I am a Jewish member of labour and have always voted Labour but sadly I could not vote for them if there was an election tomorrow and I have many friends who think the same. I will soon like others be cancelling my party membership.
What ken Livingstone has said about Hitler supporting Zionism is not just factually incorrect but a grotesque insult to the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered by Hitler.
Hitler wanted to wipe out the entire Jewish people and I would not be alive today if he had won the Second World War. Credible historians have shown his views to lies. Hitler supported Zionism in the same way that a psychopath supports the family of a kidnapped child by returning the child on payment of a ransom.
The problem though as Richard alludes too goes much higher up the chain than Livingstone to Corbyn himself. Without a doubt under any other Labour leader Livingstone would have been expelled a long time ago