The controversy over anti-Semitism within the Labor Party led to the spectacular suspension of its former leader, Jeremy Corbyn, on Thursday (October 29th). Keir Starmer, his successor, who has made the issue a priority, made the move after the release of a devastating official report, which pinpoints the party’s hesitation and complacency in its fight against anti-Semitism when Mr Corbyn does it. led, between 2015 and 2019.
The investigation was carried out by the Human Rights and Equality Commission (EHRC), an official body established in 2007 in the United Kingdom. Its conclusions are brutal for Labor. They fall under “Unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination for which the Labor Party is responsible”. They talk “Years of failure to fight anti-Semitism” under the direction of Mr. Corbyn, and his “Lack of leadership” in this domain.
Closed face, your martial, Mr. Starmer wanted to be unambiguous: “It’s a day of shame for Labor. “ He specifies “Accept in its entirety [le rapport], without any limit ”. “If you are an anti-Semite, you have nothing to do with this party. And if after all this pain, all this pain, there are still some who think the subject is exaggerated, you too are part of the problem and you should not be in this party ”, he concluded.
Corbyn says he is “shocked and disappointed”
Initially, Mr. Starmer however avoided attacking his predecessor directly. The EHRC speaks of a “Collective failure of management” Labor, who is not under one man. But two hours later, the former leader gave an interview to British media, downplaying the scope of the report. Of course, he said, “One anti-Semite in the party is one too many anti-Semites.” But he qualifies: “ [Leur] number has been exaggerated. A poll last year indicated that the general public believed that a third of Labor was suspected of anti-Semitism. The reality was that 0.3% of party members had a complaint against them. “
For Mr. Starmer, who had just given a speech leaving no doubt, it was too much. He immediately suspended his predecessor. A possible exclusion will be discussed later. “I am shocked and disappointed”, replied Mr Corbyn, 71, recalling having been a member of Labor ” all his life “.
The Labor Party has been dragging out accusations of appeasement to anti-Semitism since 2015, shortly after Mr Corbyn took the lead. On the far left, pro-Palestinian sympathizers and strongly opposed to the policies of the Israeli government sometimes fall into this drift. But rather than clearly condemn these comments, Mr Corbyn and his entourage are accused of having closed their eyes, allowing a toxic atmosphere to develop. “Under his leadership, anti-Semitism was allowed to spread from a fringe to the center”, accuses Margaret Hodge, a member of Parliament who heads the Jewish Movement of the Labor Party.
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