Labour drops case against Jewish woman for alleged antisemitism
JVL Introduction
Labour has finally backed down and withdrawn its absurd charges of antisemitism against Diana Neslen.
Not before time, and only after a threat of legal action against the Party led to someone seeing some common sense.
Still no apology, and we’re not holding our breath…
This article was originally published by the Guardian on Mon 7 Feb 2022. Read the original here.
Labour drops case against Jewish woman for alleged antisemitism
Diana Neslen threatened to sue over investigation into tweets she posted about Israel and Zionism
Labour has dropped an investigation into an 82-year-Jewish woman for alleged antisemitism after she threatened to sue the party for unlawfully discriminating against her based on her belief in anti-Zionism.
Diana Neslen, who regularly attends her local synagogue and keeps a kosher home, was being investigated by the party for the third time in less than three years for tweets she posted about Israel and Zionism.
In a letter to the party, her lawyers, Bindmans, said the investigation was unjustified and disproportionate, resting on a single tweet by Neslen from 2017, which said “the existence of the state of Israel is a racist endeavour and I am an antiracist Jew”.
The letter said that if Labour did not back down, Neslen would bring a lawsuit for discrimination and harassment, claiming anti-Zionism is a protected philosophical belief under the Equality Act.
Labour did not initially respond to Neslen’s lawyers, but after the Guardian published details of the case it told her it was discontinuing the investigation.
“It is a big victory,” said Neslen. “I’m pleased that they dropped it because it exposes the fact that they shouldn’t have done anything in the first place. But I also feel that I would have liked the issue of protected belief to have been addressed because I believe there are a lot of people who also, like me, are anti-Zionist, believe that it’s a perfectly legitimate belief, and they have no recourse.”
Neslen was sent a “reminder of conduct” by Labour in 2018, the same year that the party – under pressure to act on allegations of antisemitism – adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA’s) definition of the term. The IHRA definition of antisemitism includes as an example: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, eg by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavour.”
In February last year Neslen was given a formal warning, again relating to comments on social media. Bindmans said all bar one of the tweets cited in the latest investigation were excluded under party rules either because they dated to before she rejoined the party in 2015 or had been considered in the previous investigation.
Neslen said Labour had not apologised, despite her request for it to do so, and had told her she was not entitled to talk publicly about it.
But Neslen, who says she was a “committed Zionist” before she visited Israel, said she would not be silent. “I want the conversation to continue, I want Jewish people to be able to be as free talking about anti-Zionism as they are about Zionism,” she said. “You shouldn’t silence people who you disagree with, and although Zionism is for many Jews a sense of identity, [it’s] not for all and we all have a right to our views.”
Neslen called on Labour to withdraw complaints against other party members under similar investigation. Jewish Voice for Labour, of which Neslen is a member, says it knows of 46 Jewish Labour members, two of whom have since died, who have faced or are facing disciplinary charges relating to allegations of antisemitism.
“To say that we are insulting Jews is wrong,” said Neslen. “We are acting in accord with what we regard as Jewish values and Jewish ethics, and I’m not going to change that.”
Labour did not respond to a request for comment.
She has clearly done the right thing and been vindicated.
Wonderful news Diana – what a fight you have put up! You are an inspiration.
Time for Keir Starmer to recognise the damage done to so many good and decent Labour people. Time for him to stop the smearing. Time to dismantle the disgraceful machine of abuse and silencing. Time to reinstate free speech, due process and justice in our party.
Time for Keir Starmer to apologise to Jeremy Corbyn.
Good news and congrats to Diana. It’s so hard to think of voting Labour now but the over-riding reason is that it’s the only way (at least where I live) to kick out this wretched Tory government. To abstain would be to help the Tories. It’s the old hold-your-nose-and-vote-Labour (where they can win FPTP). All else would be dereliction.
Great news! I think she still deserves an
apology for what is outright harassment ..
It comes to something though when people
have to threaten legal action as a response to
harassment ..
Oh, very well done, Diana! Many congratulations!
A small G&T, this evening, is called for, or, perhaps, just the T.
Fantastic news – Diana has done us all a huge service and shown what cowards the Party hierarchy are. Many congratulations.
Just out of interest, how many antisemitism complaints by labour party members have been upheld? It’s nearly 2 years after Keir Starmer initiated his enquiry. Second question: what proportion of these complaints upheld were made by Jewish members?
“Neslen called on Labour to withdraw complaints against other party members under similar investigation. Jewish Voice for Labour, of which Neslen is a member, says it knows of 46 Jewish Labour members, two of whom have since died, who have faced or are facing disciplinary charges relating to allegations of antisemitism.”
[Guardian 7/2/22]
The withdrawal of the charge has also been reported in the Guardian
and also – notably – the above. I think this is the first time that the
persecution of Jews in accusing them of anti-semitism has been
reported by the MSM. So – double Congratulations!!
‘Labour did not respond to a request for comment’
No, they never DO! And Starmer never responds to the numerous letters people have written to him!
In his ‘victory’ speech after he was elected leader he said the following:
‘And to all of our members, supporters and affiliates I say this: whether you voted for me or not I will represent you, I will listen to you…’
All our members except those on the left of the party, that is!
And in his very next sentence – lying through his teeth (as with so many other things he’s said and stated and promised) – he said the following:
‘But we have to face the future with honesty’
Yes, some people get off on deceit and deception and being duplicitous, and it’s no coincidence that so many of them are politicians!
Another small victory against the witch hunters, to go with the recent complete backdown of Sheffield Hallam University in the face of vigorous protests by Shahd Abusalama and her supporters. This is also important, as it should make Universities think twice (and maybe Bristol to think again):
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/victory-palestinian-teacher-defeats-israel-lobby-smears
Congratulations. Diana’s victory is a victory for us all. It’s a great pity that Jeremy Corbyn didn’t fight these antisemitism allegations head-on in the way that Diana has done
Diana, your quiet dignity and courage in the face of this cowardly lynch mob hiding behind a cloak of anonymity is an inspiration not only to all socialists in the Labour Party, but to anyone with a basic sense of human decency. We must all take inspiration from your determination and persistence to get justice. You have broken open a can of rotten fish, and the Labour leadership will not be able to contain the stench until the source of putrefaction is thoroughly cleansed.
According to the LP’s own statistics, of all the 519 disciplinary cases determined by the NEC’s disputes panels between 21 May 2020 and 1st November 2021, no less than 335 or 64% related to accusations of antisemitism! By comparison 18 related to Islamophobia, 18 to anti-Black prejudice, 18 to sexism, 3 to homophobia, and just 2 to sexual harassment. Of the roughly 50 investigations of Jewish members accused of antisemitism known to JVL I do not know how many fall within that period (perhaps JVL can tell us), but a reasonable estimate would be at least 20. A rough estimate of the total number of Jewish members of the LP is 2500. Using a total membership figure of roughly 500,000 It follows that, at least for this period, a Jewish member of the Labour Party is roughly 200 times more likely to be investigated for antisemitism than an average member of the Labour Party is to be investigated for Islamophobia; or for anti-Black racism; or for sexism, As for sexual harassment, ladies please just stop worrying about it – and above all avoid Jewish members: because the Labour Party can assure you that a Jewish member is roughly a thousand times more times more likely to be a dangerously contagious antisemite than an average male member is likely to be a sexual harasser. And the Labour Party knows this for sure because it takes all attacks on protected characteristics equally seriously.
Yes, the stench is indeed overwhelming.
So glad for you Diana that justice has been done and hopefully your angst has largely been assuaged! Perhaps the time has also come for me to renew my subscription to the Grauniad. Coincidentally on the day of the guardian report I sent my MP, Liz Twist, a labour whip, an email thanking her for support regarding the Sumarin family in Silwan, but also adding
” Sadly your reference to an independent Palestinian State is now nothing more than a political fig leaf. As a Jewish Christian I have long been an anti-Zionist in agreement with the Haredi Community in Gateshead, and further accept that the two state solution is as dead as a dodo. I note that your leader is an avowed Zionist and practically an anti-Palestinian activist along with the equally disreputable general secretary. I further note with much alarm the expulsion of 5 times the percentage of Jews compared to other Labour Party members, and that these Jews share my views.
Whilst I applaud you as a constituency MP, and appreciate the work you do, I regret that at present I am unable to support the Labour Party in any way.”
Further to my comment above I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by a very fast reply from Liz Twist (I have written in similar vein on a number of occasions)
Dear Rodney
Sorry to hear this, and I appreciate your support as your constituency MP.
Please know that I appreciate your correspondence on this and other issues and I will seek to ensure that these messages are brought to the Labour leadership.
Yours sincerely
Liz
I am sure she has received similar correspondence from other constituents and I just hope, as other supporters of JVL have commented that Labour leadership will soon take a sane look at the situation and turn from their meshugas (yid. madness)
I am.so proud of the stand you have taken against this absurd witch hunt in the labour party..s the party now so scared of the Zionist lobby that no criticism of Israel will be tolerated?
We need to stand together as Jews and non Jews to eradicate this irrational obsession of the current labour party..stand up for the victims of injustice…
Good luck and God bless you..
You have given us all hope..
Wonderful result! It feels like a Rosa Park moment. We should remember those who have gone before they got justice.
Bindman is also a hero in this victory.
The UK Labour party is a disgrace with one third of shadow cabinet in Labour Friends of Israel who go chuntering on about a two-state solution which is only a delaying tactic while Israelis grab more land and intensify apartheid.
Congratulations and Solidarity with Diana Neslen’s brave fight for justice in the Labour Party.
What a pity that it is the “leadership” of our party that is treating Jewish Socialists in this cruel and vindictive manner.
A pity that the Labour leadership only backed down when faced with legal proceedings in which they were certain to be exposed as liars and chalatans.
Shame on them.
Well done Diana !
Yours is a victory for all of us.
….but will LP see that the absurdities apply to many others?