John McDonnell: Labour treatment of Jewish group brutal
JVL Introduction
We are gratified that John McDonnell has chosen the publication of the Forde Report as a time to speak out on the subject of how the Labour Party has treated Jewish Voice for Labour.
This article was originally published by BBC on Wed 27 Jul 2022. Read the original here.
John McDonnell: Labour treatment of Jewish group brutal
Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has accused Labour of treating a Jewish group within the party “brutally”.
Last week a report on Labour’s handling of the anti-Semitism row under Jeremy Corbyn found supporters and critics had used it as a “factional weapon”.
Mr McDonnell claims the report shows the party used its disciplinary procedures to target members of the pro-Corbyn Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL)
He said a disproportionate number of JVL members had been disciplined, suspended and expelled from the party.
Members of the group were 35 times more likely to face anti-Semitism investigations than other, mostly non-Jewish, Labour members, he claimed.
The JVL says it stands for “rights and justice for Jewish people everywhere, and against wrongs and injustice to Palestinians and other oppressed people anywhere.’
Barrister Martin Forde QC was asked by the party to chair an inquiry into the contents and leaking of an internal Labour dossier in 2020.
But Mr Forde concluded factionalism was “endemic” within the party and the issue of anti-Semitism was weaponised by both sides, not just the right.
In a letter to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Labour’s general secretary David Evans, Mr McDonnell said the party needed to be a “broad church with different ideological and policy positions legitimately contained within it”.
The Forde report showed just how far the party’s culture had been and was from this, he argued.
‘Brutal treatment’
Mr McDonnell said the treatment of JVL and many of its members had been “disregarding, disrespectful, at times uncaring, even brutal, and, some have argued, has amounted to discrimination”. Some of those facing disciplinary action have been accused of supporting groups such as Labour against the witch hunt, which have subsequently been expelled.
But the former shadow chancellor accused the party of refusing to engage with JVL. which he said represented a large number of Jewish Labour members.
JVL was formed in 2017, when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader. The group says it opposes “all forms of racism” and “attempts to widen the definition of anti-Semitism beyond its meaning of hostility towards Jews as Jews”.
It has been strongly criticised by other Jewish groups. The much larger Jewish Labour Movement -which has been affiliated to Labour since 1920 – has called its views an “extreme fringe”. Board of Deputies of British Jews president Marie van der Zyl said JVL was “a tiny organisation whose odious views are representative of no one but themselves”.
Mr McDonnell said the Forde report showed the party’s disciplinary procedures had been used to target specific individuals for factional purposes.
The former shadow chancellor called on Sir Keir to address the “injustice meted out to JVL and its members”.
In response, Labour said: “We’re proud of the changes that have been made under Keir Starmer and David Evans’ leadership but there is no room for complacency so we will always look at ways to improve our culture and practice to support all protected characteristics.
Corbyn’s position
Its new independent complaints process would ensure that complaints involving all protected characteristics would be decided “impartially, fairly and rationally”, it added.
Protected characteristics are those which it is against the law to discriminate against someone because of.
They are age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation.
Allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour party dogged much of Jeremy Corbyn’s time as leader, along with criticism of his handling of the issue.
In October 2020 – six months after he stood down – the Equality and Human Rights Commission identified serious failings in leadership and an inadequate process of handling anti-Semitism complaints.
Mr Corbyn said the scale of the problem had been “dramatically overstated” by his opponents “inside and outside the party”.
He was suspended from Labour – and though he was readmitted, he has not regained the parliamentary party’s whip and continues to sit as an independent MP.
I have said it before and I will say it again antisemitism in the Labour party is, was, and always was a fiction. Dreamed up by those who opposed socialism to damage a Socialist. How such fantasy could ever have gained any credence must condemn the intellect of the populace as abysmal.
The inventors of “antisemitism in the Labour Party” are in terror that their “big lie” should be exposed and JVL is one of the sources that have always resisted their indoctrination so, of course, we must be silenced.
The Board of Deputies are quite unrepresentative of Jews in UK and a throw-back cult
I dispute the claim that JLM was founded in 1920. It is an organization that was reformed when Jeremy was elected leader with the precise goal of getting rid of him. It has nothing to do with Poale Zion.
Is it not obvious that the targeting of Jewish members of the Labour Party is such a prejudicial way because they are Jewish and socialist is actually antisemitic. Thus the faux accusation that Labour is antisemitic becomes a reality, enforced by the new leader who swore to rid the Party of antisemitism. Jewish socialists within the party are the ones who feel targeted and unsafe. The nasty lies and distortions in the way the B.O.D, JLM and the Campaign Against Antisemitism describe JVL are thoroughly antisemitic, which shows they do not understand how disgusting and ironic it is!
Will this stop Labour from suspending anymore members of JVL, especially Jewish members, I would like to think so but I’m not convinced it will.
I’m sure that Starmer and his advisers are working hard to find a different rout for their suspensions.
Starmer will be under pressure to stop criticism of Israel, which isn’t going to stop while there are members (mostly on the Left) that will still campaign to stop the violent treatment and land theft from the Palestinians.
The hypocrisy of John McDonnell never ceases to amaze me!
Good to speak out, but ain’t itfunny he waited until he’s about a million, billion miles away from the levers of power in the party to finally do so, isn’t it. Almost as if he- McDonnell- is one of the biggest moral cowards on the mainstream soft left. Hm.
The UK’s mainstream media WILL find it extremely embarrassing to admit to their biased reporting of Corbyn and of antisemitism within the Labour party. They’ll try not to let it happen.
Is there any benefit in using the contacts people here have with the American, European and Antipodean press to “sell” the whole story to serious journalists and newspapers in locations where the writ of Murdoch and co doesn’t run? Hopefully these overseas articles will then be recycled in this country by the suddenly emboldened and copy-hungry British media.
Naturally the story would have to be repurposed with local twists to appeal to the different local audiences.
Jewish Labour Movement appears to put itself in a position of some sort of god. It consistently refuses to share platforms with other groups and appears to tolerate no views contrary to its own. This is a very unhealthy stand-point. If you have a viewpoint, but cannot justify it by rational argument, then you cannot expect others to accept it and they will rightly call it rubbish. Faith can come into it, but you have to say where the jump from rationality into faith (or religious belief) comes into it, otherwise you are bull-shitting. By all means have religious beliefs, but spell them out for the world to understand. An argument cannot be won by smearing the other side (“extreme fringe” – “odious views”).
Now it is accepted claims of Anti semitism were overstated there is no excuse for not restoring the whip to JC
Equally CLP’s can safely sign up for training from JVL, to force party to accept Forde
John McDonnell has taken a very necessary step here, with the BBC tagging along reluctantly in his wake.
Too little too late, the hypocrisy of John McDonnell never ceases to amaze me!
We are pleased that John has used the opportunity offered by Forde to make a clear statement of support. In the past he has privately supported individual members under threat and discussed more general problems which, however insufficient, is more than most other left MPs have done.
Also, he supported JVL this time last year in a BBC interview.
If only John, among Jeremy’s allies, had stood for the leadership instead of the decent but seemingly insipid Long Bailey, Jeremy’s positive achievements might have been been consolidated rather than thrown away.
Where does this leave UNISON with Emilie Oldknow as their Chief Operating Officer? Sitting pretty I guess, as are all the others accused of being part of the 5th column at the heart of the LP during Corbyn’s leadership. What are the chances of an honest investigation into their actions/utterances by KS with punishment meted out where guilt is proven? Nothing to see here, move along there.
The BBC are echoing the Forde report: ‘factionalism was “endemic” within the party and the issue of anti-Semitism was weaponised by both sides, not just the right.’
This fresh assertion that left-wing members were reacting to the Right’s weaponization of antisemitism with denial – is clearly unfair. How on earth can a person defending their innocence be judged as ‘weaponizing’ antisemitism? How can a victim of such overtly weaponized antisemitism be blamed for standing up for themselves against such right-wing factionalism? How were the left to respond exactly? Meekly accept all the consequent suspensions/expulsions from their side of the party? This “both-sides were as bad as each other” narrative doesn’t begin to seem honest. Labour is a political party, and yet all the politics inherent to this vexed subject of antisemitism seems to have been disavowed.
Spot on, A Amos. The summing up by those who refuse to accept truth (the majority of the news media) when it stares them in the face is akin to ‘the’re all the same’ comments when canvassing, dismissing all MPs as on a par with the worst. It salves their consciences and saves the bother of voting.