Ex-BNP chief Nick Griffin praises Corbyn over slur on British Zionists as Labour leader’s ally McDonnell claims he was only trying to ‘secure peace’
- Jeremy Corbyn spoke at conference promoted by site of Hamas’s military wing
- Labour leader said British ‘Zionists’ didn’t understand ‘English irony’ in 2013
- Jewish Labour MP Luciana Berger has slammed his remarks in Twitter tirade
- The jibe by Mr Corbyn was endorsed by the former BNP leader Nick Griffin
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Jeremy Corbyn has been praised by former BNP leader Nick Griffin as he desperately struggles to contain another anti-Semitism row today.
Mr Corbyn was hit with a wave of condemnation after MailOnline revealed he had complained at a 2013 meeting that British Zionists ‘don’t understand English irony’.
Labour MP Luciana Berger branded the jibe ‘inexcusable’ and said it made her feel ‘unwelcome in my own party’.
But he has received support from an unwanted quarter in the form of a tweet from Mr Griffin. The far-right activist wrote: ‘Go Jezza! I wonder how many Labour activists the hysterical #Zionist media campaign against Corbyn is re-pilling (sic)?’
Labour MP Wes Streeting said the endorsement was ‘sickening’. ‘All the wrong people are cheering,’ he said.
Jeremy Corbyn has been under fire over remarks made about British Zionists at a 2013 conference in London (pictured)
Mr Corbyn received support from an unwanted quarter in the form of a tweet from former BNP leader Nick Griffin
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Shadow chancellor John McDonnell was deployed in a bid to defuse the growing row, saying Mr Corbyn had been taken ‘out of context’.
He suggested the veteran left-winger’s remarks were part of his efforts to ‘secure peace’.
In footage from the 2013 conference, Mr Corbyn says: ‘[British Zionists] clearly have two problems: one is they don’t want to study history and, secondly, having lived in this country for a very long time, probably all their lives, they don’t understand English irony either.’
Why is Labour’s new code of conduct on anti-Semitism so controversial?
The Labour anti-Semitism row erupted again after the party leadership refused to fully adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition.
The party’s code explicitly endorses the IHRA definition, but it omits four examples from the IHRA list:
– Accusing Jewish people of being more loyal to Israel than their home country;
– Claiming that Israel’s existence as a state is a racist endeavour;
– Requiring higher standards of behaviour from Israel than other nations; and
– Comparing contemporary Israeli policies to those of the Nazis.
Labour insisted that while the examples are not reproduced word-for-word, they are covered in the new code.
But critics say the decision allows anti-Semitism to continue to fester.
Labour MP Luciana Berger said the video contained ‘inexcusable comments’ which made her feel ‘unwelcome in my own party’.
She wrote on Twitter: ‘The video released today of the leader of @UKLabour making inexcusable comments – defended by a party spokesman – makes me as a proud British Jew feel unwelcome in my own party.
‘I’ve lived in Britain all my life and I don’t need any lessons in history/irony.’
But Mr McDonnell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I think this has all been taken out of context: whatever Jeremy has said throughout the years has always been about how to secure peace, particularly within the Middle East and also peace with justice for all concerned – both members of the Jewish community and also members of the Palestinian community.’
‘In that context Jeremy has devoted his life, so I think this would take expressions out of context in that way are not helping.’
Ms Berger received support from fellow Labour backbenchers, with Newcastle North MP Catherine McKinnell tweeting: ‘Standing right with you @lucianaberger.’
Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson wrote: ‘Right beside you @lucianaberger.’
The Labour leader has been under massive pressure over the wave of vile anti-Semitism that has been wracking Labour, and the party’s refusal to adopt the international definition of the abuse.
He has also come under fire over contacts with Palestinian extremists.
A spokeswoman for Mr Corbyn said: ‘Jeremy is totally opposed to all forms of anti-Semitism and is determined to drive it out from society.
‘At this event, he was referring to a group of pro-Israel activists misunderstanding and then criticising the Palestinian ambassador for a speech at a separate event about the occupation of the West Bank.’
Luciana Berger, the MP for Liverpool Wavertree, slammed the Labour leader for his comments from 2013 at a London conference promoted by the propaganda website of Hamas
Ms Berger left no doubt about her anger at the comments Mr Corbyn made at the conference
What is the timeline of anti-Semitic scandals which have erupted under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership?
Jeremy Corbyn (pictured) has been accused of failing to tackle the racism among his supporters
The anti-Semitism scandal has dogged Labour since Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader in 2015.
Here is a timeline of the controversies:
April 2016:
Labour MP Naz Shah is suspended for anti-Semitic posts – including one in which she appeared to endorse calls for Israelis to be deported to the US.
She apologised and was given a formal warning.
Ken Livingstone goes on the radio to defend Ms Shah – but sparks fresh controversy by claiming that Hitler supported Zionism.
He is suspended by Labour but refuses to apologise and has repeated the claim many times.
He eventually quits Labour two years later, saying his suspension has become a distraction.
June 2016:
A two-month inquiry by civil liberties campaigner Shami Chakrabarti finds that Labour is not overrun by anti-Semitism.
But the launch is overshadowed when Jewish Labour MP Ruth Smeeth flees it in tears after being accused by Corbyn supporter Marc Wadsworth of colluding with the press.
Critics accuse the report of being a whitewash and Ms Chakrabarti is widely criticised for accepting a peerage from Jeremy Corbyn shortly afterwards.
October 2016:
The Home Affairs Select Committee says Labour is guilty of incompetence over its handling of anti-Semitism and of creating a safe space for people with ‘vile attitudes towards Jewish people’.
March 2018:
It is revealed that Jeremy Corbyn defended an artist who painted an anti-Semitic mural and said the offensive art should be removed.
He apologises saying he did not properly look at the picture before he made the post.
Jewish leaders take the unprecedented step of holding a demonstration outside Parliament protesting Mr Corbyn’s failure to tackle anti-Semitism.
Several Labour MPs address the crowds.
April 2018:
Marc Wadsworth is expelled from Labour after being accused of anti-Semitism.
Meanwhile, Labour Jewish MPs tell of the anti-Semitic abuse they have suffered in a powerful parliamentary debate – and round on their leader for failing to tackle it.
July 2018:
The Labour leadership sparks fresh anger by failing to fully adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism
Peter Willsman, a strong ally of Jeremy Corbyn, is secretly taped ranting that ‘Jewish Trump fanatics’ invented the anti-Semitism storm engulfing Labour.
In an angry diatribe at a meeting of Labour’s ruling executive committee, he said he was ‘amazed’ there was evidence party members hated Jews.
He claimed ‘some of these people in the Jewish community support Trump – they are Trump fanatics’ before shouting: ‘So I am not going to be lectured to by Trump fanatics making up duff information without any evidence at all.’
August 2018:
Jeremy Corbyn issues a video insisting he is committed to tackling the racism – but it is panned by Jewish leaders.
Corbynistas mount a social media campaign to get deputy Labour leader Tom Watson to quit after he criticises the party’s handling of anti-Semitism.
The Daily Mail exclusively publishes photos of Jeremy Corbyn holding a wreath at a ceremony where a terrorist linked to the Munich massacre was honoured.
The Labour leader insists he was there to honour others killed – but faces fresh calls to quit over the scandal.
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