To ask about Jeremy Corbyn and anti semitism

[TheoriginalLEM]

So having decided to vote labour I had a conversation with a Jewish work colleague who said she couldn't vote for him, hated him even. It took me a few seconds and then i realised why. I said that I had stuck my fingers in my ears and my head in the sand somewhat about this, hoping it was just the media etc.

We didn't get into it as I could see she was uncomfortable.

So can someone tell me if and why he is an anti-semite? It doesn't sit well with me to vote for someone like that but I desperately want the Tories gone and my politics is definitely to the left.

I'm honestly not being goady and I know I could google but i wouldn't know where to start to get an unbiased view

FWIW, I don’t think Corbyn is it a good leader and I hope someone like Keir Starmer or Emily Thornberry steps in to the role in the future.
I admire him immensely though, and am in awe of how he is able to withstand the constant smears directed towards him and remain so dignified.

There is a difference between supporting the Palestinians and being friemdly with known terrorists Hezbollah and Hama's.

Zionism is very simple. It’s the belief in the Jewish right to self determination

Thank you @Answerthequestion for your clarification.

He "absorbs" it the same way you do on this thread. By either not understanding or not taking a blind bit of notice.

I think we have worked out you admire and are in awe of Corbyn

At least you admit to this

That said, please do realise that these people are a tiny minority. I've been a Labour member for 3 years, and I have encountered one anti semitic comment, on Facebook.
Shame about the party leader, then, and his total inability to deal with the problem.

When the Jewish Labour Movement is saying, 'Don't vote Labour', you know there is a problem. Have they been duped by the right-wing media as well? Are we saying that Jews don't have the experience to recognise antisemitism when they see it?

This is Corbyn's spokesman's statement on Louise Ellman MP's resignation last month. It's worth quoting in full as it gives an insight into why many people consider Corbyn personally responsible for encouraging antisemitism and not just naive. Ms Ellman left the Labour Party over concerns of antisemitism and Corbyn's leadership.

'Jeremy Corbyn thanks Louise Ellman for her service to the Labour Party over many years.

'Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party are fully committed to the support, defence and celebration of the Jewish community and continue to take robust action to root out anti-Semitism in the party and wider society.

'Jeremy Corbyn has consistently supported struggles for human rights and justice around the world and made the right calls in the interests of security and peace.'

Not much to see in the first paragraph other than the slightly odd suggestion that the Jewish community needs to be "celebrated".

The second paragraph jumps straight into talking about world affairs. This is an internal Party matter so why are we talking about the world? Which struggle is he referring to? (I'll give you 3 guesses). And "made the right calls" clearly refers to Corbyn taking sides in the conflict. The whole paragraph is a massive dogwhistle to his supporters - "This is really about Palestine".

This is how he regularly communicates and this is how the antisemitism which people raise concerns about is rationalized away as being about Israel/Palestine.

@Dontsweatthelittlestuff, without trying to be clever - obviously quite the reverse - could you please tell the less socially engaged or sensitive among us, like me, what the anti-semitic content is in that picture.

The pyramid and eye is a symbol of freemasonry isn't it? Are the people around the table supposed to look like Jews or something?

In my defence I am not attempting to run in politics at all, much less run the country: just genuinely trying to understand what is considered anti-semitic. I'd have said it was anti-freemason if anything.

To say that Labour and Corbyn should have been more proactive in dealing with the issue is one thing. To suggest that should influence the way people vote is another.
Voting is always about comparisons. If anyone uses Labour’s antisemitism problem as a reason for not voting tactically to prevent a Johnson government, then they have to make comparisons between parties and not look at Labour in isolation.
Our next Prime Minister will be Johnson or Corbyn. Which has the better record on racism?
Compare how Labour has dealt with antisemitism to how the Tories have dealt with Islamophobia. Did the Tories adopt a code to help assess whether statements were Islamophobic, like the IHRA codee_ now adopted by Labour? Do we know all the statistics about the complaints there have been about Islamophobia in the Tory party? No.
Baroness Warsi, ex-chairman of the Tory party, said recently the climate for Muslims in the her party was hostile. While Corbyn has made no racist statements, the same cannott be said aboutt Johnson.
Even if you think Johnson is not a racist, what he says empowerss_ those who are, which is why attacks against Muslims rose after he called some Muslim women letterboxes.
All political parties will contain racists of some sort and those parties will require constant pressure to expose and end it. But to suggest we should prefer Johnson to Corbyn as our next PM because of Labour’s antisemitism is complete nonsense.
Labour have an antisemitism problem which they are dealing with, and the Tories have an Islamophobia problem which they are trying to ignore.
Unlike Corbyn, Johnson has made a number of racist statements.
It is tragic that people believing the MSM’s lies and smears could mean we face more years of harsh Tory govt and the loss of the NHS.
When our Doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers & firefighters are asking us to vote Labour shouldn’t we listen?

While Corbyn has made no racist statements
Incorrect. Corbyn has made a number of racist statements including a blatant attack on British Jews that was caught on film. He has also been filmed nodding along with racist, anti-Semitic rants.

Please could you post a link to footage of Corbyn making racist comments?

Being anti zionist does not make one anti semitic.

Pointing out the blatant existence of Israels policy of segregation, discrimination, illegal settlements and genocide does not make one an anti semite either.

Absolutely Amazon It’s merely a tactic to shut down debate, and is utterly transparent. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest if somebody calls me an anti Semite. It means nothing!

Bintheredunthat, despite your measured balanced response you are no doubt about to be vilified as chief cultist in residence of mumsnet. The fact that failing to support one party on the basis of racism will benefit another, far more racist and disablist than the first, seems entirely lost on many people.

genocide

You know that the Arab population is growing faster than the Jewish population? And that Israel is the only country in the region to give full equal citizenship rights to Arabs and Jews? That there have been 2 Arab Supreme Court judges, one of whom sentenced a former Israeli president to jail?

No you don't, because it doesn't tell you that on Squawkbox or whatever other hate filled blog you are copying from.

This is exactly the kind of poisonous nonsense that has been enabled by Corbyn's "anti-Zionism" that some on here are applauding.

'Pointing out the blatant existence of Israels policy of segregation, discrimination, illegal settlements and genocide does not make one an anti semite either*
*
< This.

Calling those who speak out
Anti-semites serves to silence any criticism of Israel's actions.

Why shouldn't it grow faster?? Is there a fixed rate at which it's allowed to grow?? Listen to yourself?

And please, assume I know a hell of a lot about the subject.

Anti-semites serves to silence any criticism of Israel's actions.

Then we're not doing a vey good job are we? Israel is the most overscrutinised country on the planet. You've filled the most of the left wing blogosphere with your obsessive hatred of one country of 8 million people.

Where do you draw your statistics from to make that claim Peter?

"Calling those who speak out
Anti-semites serves to silence any criticism of Israel's actions"

Actually, no one is calling those who "speak out" anti-semites. People are calling anti-semites anti-semites.

I mean, Corbyn was a member of a seemingly pro-Palestinian group that was so anti-semitic that even the Palestinians cut ties with it. Because when you use Palestinians as a smoke screen for your anti-semitism, you do nothing to advance their cause and a lot to undermine it.

"Why shouldn't it grow faster?? Is there a fixed rate at which it's allowed to grow?? Listen to yourself?"

I guess it's because a population that is apparently undergoing genocide, by definition, won't be growing and certainly not faster than other populations.

Absolutely agree Annie.

These people do nothing to advance the cause of peace and justice in the region even if Corbyn gets into power which appears increasingly unlikely, because their hatred blinds them to any useful contribution.

It's also laughable the claim that anti semitism is used to deflect any criticism of Israel's actions when trying to justify anti semitism. I mean, some of the loudest critics of Israel are Israeli Jews themselves. Funny that they manage to do this without being anti semitic. It is entirely possible.