Unwelcome guests: Jewish Labour Movement keeps affiliation with Labour – and threatens party members
.Margaret Hodge: This Labour ‘moderate’ (read: right-winger) has made wild, unsubstantiated claims alleging anti-Semitism in the party. She begged JLM members to keep their affiliation with Labour at this week’s meeting. Was that because she needs the support?
Who would you trust in a debate? Someone who makes an argument supported with evidence – or someone who responds with threats?
The Jewish Labour Movement seems to think that bullying is the viable option. It has announced its intention to remain affiliated to the Labour Party with a nasty little ultimatum:
We have a simple message to the Labour Party, it’s Leadership, it’s MPs, its Cllrs. If you do not show solidarity with us, we will not show solidarity for you.
We will hold our AGM on the 7th of April. For now, we are staying to stand and fight.
— Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) March 6, 2019
Mainstream media reports are saying the decision was made on the basis of votes in London and Manchester, but this has been disputed by rival organisation Jewish Voice for Labour:
Fake news, no vote happened. But I guess it's not out of character for @JewishLabour to say a unanimous decision happened when they didn't allow for a vote. https://t.co/rZtyzCnQ09
— JewishVoiceForLabour (@JVoiceLabour) March 6, 2019
In any case, the vote was purely indicative and non-binding.
There will be no love lost between JLM and JVL over the latter’s attitude, as the following tweet, referring to a piece of Twitter nastiness by the troll David Collier attests:
David Collier, who also tweets as Gnasher Jew, continues his spiteful and anti-Semitic hate campaign towards left-wing Jews
Right-wing extremists like him are responsible for causing hate and division in Britain’s Jewish community
This man is utterly contemptible and toxic pic.twitter.com/c8MHpY9E6o
— Socialist Voice (@SocialistVoice) March 7, 2019
Mr Collier’s tweet, attacking Jewish people as “the wrong kind of Jew”, is genuinely anti-Semitic – unlike comments by most of his victims.
You can read more about his hideous opinions – if you have the stomach for it – here:
How racist blogger David Collier infiltrated the Labour Party https://t.co/cwit5imFEy
— Pete Whyte. Looking for a socialist home (@FarmerFunky) March 6, 2019
The JLM announcement was met with deep contrition and concern by… practically nobody. The general consensus appears to be as follows:
https://twitter.com/MarxyMarxy/status/1103409306484043783
‘Marxy’ continued with a few facts about the JLM: “JLM are a tiny entity of around 2000 Zionists who pretend they are interested in peace and ‘a two state solution’. You don’t even have to be a member of the Labour Party so the membership is open to ANYBODY.”
That puts Mr Collier’s line about JVL being “a tiny fringe” into context, doesn’t it?
It seems the only people who showed any concern about the JLM’s threat were ‘moderate’ Labour MPs who have already nailed their flags to its mast.
Karl Turner tweeted: “This is very welcome news. We really must redouble our efforts to win back trust.”
And Stella Creasy posted the following: “Now more than before, time for us to show how affiliation means more than shared meetings, it means a shared struggle and shared values. You were there with us at birth of Labour @JewishLabour – we will fight to be worthy of your comradeship for our future too.”
Speak for yourself, Stella!
David Minto, responding to her tweet, gave a more balanced view: “So its orchestrated? Tonight threats from you & your MP pals & exclusion of any other Jewish voices @JVoiceLabour. No leave tonight but threat that in a month of “we could’ve left on 6th March & offered peace” At AGM it’ll be “still all AS so let’s all leave for Tinge.” Politics.”
This is the expected result.
It was predicted way back in July last year by Asa Winstanley of The Electronic Intifada. He tweeted a thread about it, showing how this tactic has been used in the past:
Expect a group of high profile right-wing and/or pro-Israel MPs, councillors or members to resign from Labour in protest. Don’t fall for this.
— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) July 21, 2018
Israel lobby groups tried this years ago as part of their costly legal assault against the University and College Union. See my 2012 court report. The false claim was that “Jewish members have left UCU in droves” https://t.co/lUgrmNf6ah
— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) July 21, 2018
The Israel lobby had to pay UCU’s court costs, thought to amount to £100s of Ks. But for a while, it generated some very bad headlines for UCU, and it achieved a sort of victory in the sense that discussion of academic boycott of Israel was severely chilled.
— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) July 21, 2018
Newmark was singled out by the judge for giving particularly “preposterous,” “arrogant” and “disturbing” evidence which showed contempt for freedom of speech. He was basically called a liar by the judge — giving “untrue” evidence.
— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) July 21, 2018
He re-founded the moribund Jewish Labour Movement in February 2016, installing a full-time director for the first time by hiring her away from the Israeli embassy (Ella Rose).
— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) July 21, 2018
I’ve been privately predicting to comrades for months they will try the same “Jewish members are leaving in droves” nonsense in Labour which they did in UCU.
— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) July 21, 2018
He had some good advice:
The lesson for Labour: the only way to defeat these dirty tactics is by fighting them, head on. They can not be accommodated or compromised with. https://t.co/VoEYfRC6VN
— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) July 21, 2018
Sadly it seems certain that the likes of Mr Turner and Ms Creasy will ignore Mr Winstanley’s advice.
Let us hope Jeremy Corbyn and Jennie Formby do not. As I said previously, the Jewish Labour Movement is an organisation of racists who support the right-wing apartheid state of Israel under its current government. There is no place for its vile views in a progressive organisation like the UK Labour Party.
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Was that Collier fellow photographed with that well know moderate left-winger Melanie Phillips?
David Collier is gnasher Jew? Wow – he trawled me and sent my postings on Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians to the NEC for “Investigation” for anti-Semitism. I had already been “Investigated” for posting against the BoD demo outside Parliament last year – and was exonerated as not anti-Semitic. When I got this second accusation from gnasher jew I cancelled my membership. I’ve been a loyal Labour supporter for over 35 years – but just found being “watched” by Mossad too spooky for words! (I’m a matrilineal Jew and speak out for Jewish Voice for Labour – why would I be anti-Semitic?)
You were reported by GnasherJew? That’s a violation of the rules in itself – or it should be. There should be no anonymous reports of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.
And of course the idea that a Jewish person could be anti-Semitic is a contradiction in terms. I’m not saying it can’t happen, but it shouldn’t be thrown around idly.
The fact that GnasherJew – and the people – plural – behind it are still allowed to make such idle accusations disgraces Labour’s system.
Gnasher Jew. it sounds so thoughtful doesn’t it makes you want to have a chat with them ad learn their arguments. They make Opus Dei look like moderates.