, Leader of the , has written to the Board of
Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council in response to their
statement yesterday, pledging that he is a “militant opponent of
antisemitism” and an ally in the fight against it.
In the letter, recognises that antisemitism
has surfaced within the and identifies particular
forms of antisemitism, which he labels “the socialism of fools”.
He apologies for the “pain and hurt to Jewish members of our
Party and to the wider Jewish community in Britain” caused by
instances of antisemitism in the and personally for wrongly
questioning the removal of an antisemitic mural in 2012.
He pledges that Labour will have zero tolerance for antisemites
and will bring forward a programme of political education within
the party “to increase awareness and understanding of all forms
of antisemitism”.
In the letter, also repeats his offer on an
urgent meeting with the Board of Deputies and the Jewish
Leadership Council as soon as possible.
Ends
Text of the letter
Dear Jonathan and Jonathan,
Thank you for your letter to the concerning antisemitism
issued as a press statement last night.
First of all, let me acknowledge the anger and upset that
provoked it, and repeat my offer of an urgent meeting to discuss
the issues you have raised as soon as possible.
I stated yesterday, and repeat today, that I will not tolerate
any form of antisemitism that exists in or around our party and
movement. I am committed to eliminating antisemitism
wherever it exists.
As I told the conference in 2016,
antisemitism is an evil that led to the worst crimes of the
20th century. Prejudice and hatred of Jewish
people has no place whatsoever in the , and every one of us has a
responsibility to ensure it is never allowed to fester in our
society again.
I recognise that antisemitism has surfaced within the , and has too often been
dismissed as simply a matter of a few bad apples. This has
caused pain and hurt to Jewish members of our Party and to the
wider Jewish community in Britain. I am sincerely sorry for
the pain which has been caused, and pledge to redouble my efforts
to bring this anxiety to an end.
While the forms of antisemitism expressed on the far Right of
politics are easily detectable, such as Holocaust denial, there
needs to be a deeper understanding of what constitutes
antisemitism in the labour movement. Sometimes this evil
takes familiar forms – the east London mural which has caused
such understandable controversy is an example. The idea of
Jewish bankers and capitalists exploiting the workers of the
world is an old antisemitic conspiracy theory. This was long ago,
and rightly, described as “the socialism of fools.” I am
sorry for not having studied the content of the mural more
closely before wrongly questioning its removal in 2012.
Newer forms of antisemitism have been woven into criticism of
Israeli governments. Criticism of Israel, particularly in
relation to the continuing dispossession of the Palestinian
people, cannot be avoided. Nevertheless, comparing Israel or
the actions of Israeli governments to the Nazis, attributing
criticisms of Israel to Jewish characteristics or to Jewish
people in general and using abusive phraseology about supporters
of Israel such as “Zio” all constitute aspects of contemporary
antisemitism. And Jewish people must not be held responsible or
accountable for the actions of the Israeli government.
The has always opposed
antisemitism, old and new, and always will. We are proud of
our deep historical links with Jewish communities, and to have
fought alongside generations of Jewish men and women against
fascism, prejudice and discrimination. This is a part of our
common heritage from which we will never be separated. But
I acknowledge that antisemitic attitudes have surfaced more often
in our ranks in recent years, and that the Party has been too
slow in processing some of the cases that have
emerged. Early action has nevertheless been taken, and we
will work to speed up procedures, to deal with cases of
antisemitic abuse or attitudes.
I am committed to making our Party a welcoming and secure place
for Jewish people. Zero tolerance for antisemites means what
it says, and the Party will proceed in that spirit. That demands
among other things the overdue full implementation of the
recommendations of the Chakrabarti report, including a programme
of political education to increase awareness and understanding of
all forms of antisemitism.
The battle against antisemitism should never become a party
political issue. It must unite all of us if we are both to
honour the memory of the victims of the bestial crimes of the
20th century and build a future of equality and
justice for all.
In that spirit, I must make it clear that I will never be
anything other than a militant opponent of antisemitism. In
this fight, I am your ally and always will be.
Best wishes,
MP
Leader of the
