Antisemitism in Political Parties

Martha Osamor

2018-present: Labour peer

Director, All Women’s Welfare Association

Director, Haringey Law Centre

Incidents

  1. On 2nd May 2016, Baroness Osamor shared a letter from The Guardian on her Facebook page entitled, “A Palestinian view on the antisemitism row.” The letter appeared in response to an article by Jonathan Freedland (written in the immediate aftermath of  Ken Livingstone’s suspension) in which the journalist had expressed the wish for Israel not to be unfairly singled out as having no right to exist and for Jews to have the same right as other minorities to define what they consider to be discriminatory against them. The letter’s author, however, chose to characterise Israel as an essentially illegitimate entity, and its inhabitants as colonisers, asserting that “Balfour had more right to promise Wales to the Zionists than Palestine”.
  2. On 14th June 2016, Baroness Osamor was a signatory to a letter presented to Iain McNicol (the then General Secretary of the Labour Party) in which the signatories declared themselves “concerned about the recent suspensions of committed Labour Party members for alleged anti-Semitism [sic] which undermines serious discussion and thinking.” Amongst those whose suspensions caused them particular concern were Marlene Ellis (who had defended  Naz Shah MP’s suggestion that Israeli Jews should be “transported” to the USA, by asserting that her statement was “not so outrageous within the historical context and involvement of Zionists with Nazis”), Ken Livingstone (suspended for having asserted that Hitler supported Zionism), Tony Greenstein and David White. It described the suspensions as having parallels with the McCarthy era in the United States and with the Salem witch trials. It also suggested that Jackie Walker’s first suspension (for having asserted that Jews were among the “chief financiers of the…slave trade”, then only recently lifted) had been “applied and publicised in haste, without due consideration.” The letter continued: “It appears allegations of anti-Semitism [sic] are being used to stifle the sharing of information on some of the uncomfortable events that took place during the Shoah, the Maangamizi (African Holocaust) and free speech. Allegations are also being made to silence criticisms of Israel, hamper the work of Momentum activists, and undermine Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.”
  3. On 17th October 2016, Baroness Osamor shared an article on Facebook from the Electronic Intifada website entitled, “UK lawmakers push to outlaw criticism of Zionism”, in which the report by the Home Affairs Select Committee, following its investigation into antisemitism, was criticised for its conclusion that the Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn was heading a political party with “institutionally anti-Semitic [sic] elements”. The committee itself was characterised as “Conservative-dominated”; the IHRA definition of antisemitism was described as “false, ahistorical and politicized [sic]” and “designed to protect Israel’s human rights violations from censure and accountability”; and many of the allegations of antisemitism investigated by Baroness Chakrabarti for her report were described as having been “fabricated or exaggerated”.
  4. On 2nd April 2018, Baroness Osamor shared a letter to The Guardian on her Facebook page entitled: “Stop Jeremy Corbyn’s trial by media over antisemitism.” The letter’s signatories asserted that media coverage of the antisemitism crisis within the Labour Party had been biased, reporting it in such a way as to suggest that “antisemitism is a problem mostly to do with Labour and that Corbyn is personally responsible for failing to deal with it.” They suggested that the coverage had relied on only “a handful” of sources, including Jewish charities described as “well-known opponents of Jeremy Corbyn himself.” Having gone on to suggest that the real threat to Jews in both Britain and Europe came from the right, the signatories concluded: “It is not ‘whataboutery’ to suggest that the debate on antisemitism has been framed in such a way as to mystify the real sources of anti-Jewish bigotry and instead to weaponise it against a single political figure just ahead of important elections.”

Analysis

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis is that Baroness Osamor’s actions amount to breaches of the International Definition of Antisemitism and qualify as antisemitic discourse according to our methodology.

By sharing a letter which characterises Israel as a state whose establishment was essentially an act of racism [1], Baroness Osamor was disseminating material which was “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour).”

In becoming a signatory to a letter which supported Ken Livingstone (whose suspension for stating that Hitler supported Zionism was characterised as stifling “the sharing of information on some of the uncomfortable events that took place during the Shoah”), in [2], she was supporting a perversion of the historical account of the Holocaust which had been formulated in order to demonise an identifiably Jewish movement.

In becoming a signatory to a letter which supported Jackie Walker, whose suspension for stating that Jews were among the “chief financiers of the…slave trade” was characterised as stifling “the sharing of information on some of the uncomfortable events that took place during…the Maangamizi (African Holocaust)”, in [2], she was endorsing a proven antisemitic myth. In doing so, she was “Making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.”

In becoming a signatory to a letter which stated that allegations of antisemitism were being made “to silence criticisms of Israel, hamper the work of Momentum activists, and undermine Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn,” in [2]; by sharing an article in which allegations of antisemitism are described as “fabricated” and “exaggerated”, and the IHRA definition of antisemitism is described as “false, ahistorical and politicized, [sic]” and “designed to protect Israel’s human rights violations from censure and accountability”, in [3]; and by sharing a letter which suggested that the debate on antisemitism was being manipulated in order to “weaponise it against a single political figure [Jeremy Corbyn] just ahead of important elections,” in [4], she was disseminating material which was characterising those who allege antisemitism in the Labour Party to be politically motivated. This would inevitably include those Jewish groups and individuals who have publicly and repeatedly stood up to and reported antisemitism within the Labour Party. In doing so, she was deploying the so-called ‘Livingstone Formulation’, by accusing Jews who cite evidence of antisemitism of lying, conspiring or having deceitful motives in doing so when there is clear evidence that there have been breaches of the International Definition of Antisemitism.

We note that on 26th March 2018, in a published response to complaints of antisemitism by Jewish community charities, Jeremy Corbyn MP stated: “I recognise that anti-Semitism [sic] has surfaced within the Labour Party, and has too often been dismissed as simply a matter of a few bad apples.” Furthermore, we note that on 24th April, 2018, in an article published in the Evening Standard, Mr Corbyn stated: “We must strive to understand why anti-Semitism [sic] has surfaced in our party…”, and “when members of Jewish communities express genuine anxieties we must recognise them as we would those of any other community. Their concerns are not ‘smears’.”

Outcome

On 18th May 2018, following the announcement of Baroness Osamor’s elevation to the House of Lords, her defence of those Labour members suspended for alleged antisemitism, and her sharing of the letter to The Guardian in which it was alleged that antisemitism was being “weaponised” were revealed by the Guido Fawkes political blog.

On 18th May 2018, Baroness Osamor reportedly released a statement in which she said: “I am and always have been implacably opposed to antisemitism and have spent my life as an anti-racist campaigner. As Jeremy [Corbyn] has said clearly, raising concerns about antisemitism is not a smear. I welcome Jennie Formby’s recent actions as Labour’s new general secretary to ensure there is no place for antisemitism in the Labour Party.”

On 18th May 2018, Campaign Against Antisemitism issued a statement saying: “Mr Corbyn has promised action, not just words, against antisemitism in the Labour Party. Today his actions speak louder than ever. By elevating Ms Osamor to the peerage, Mr Corbyn has sent an unmistakable signal to those in the Jewish community who still harboured some hope that he might change. Mr Corbyn is telling us not only that he sees her behaviour as unproblematic, but that he sees it as being worthy of the highest honour and a lifelong seat in the House of Lords. Yet again, Mr Corbyn has sent the Jewish community a two-fingered salute, and the Labour Party has looked on inertly.”

On 19th May 2018, it was reported that the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell MP had praised Baroness Osamor’s “commendable” track record of service and had insisted that her nomination should not be blocked “because she has the qualities we need to stand up in the House of Lords, particularly to address issues of inequality within our society”. He said of her being a signatory to the letter in question: “I think she’s wrong in that respect because I don’t believe in the views that are expressed in the letter.” However, he nevertheless reportedly insisted that it had been “her right” to sign it.

We do not know whether disciplinary action has been taken by the Labour Party against Baroness Osamor, and at the time of writing, on 6th May 2020, we have no record of any. However, the circumstances and outcomes of any such action would remain unknown, owing to the conditions of secrecy imposed by Baroness Chakrabarti’s report on antisemitism in the Labour Party.

Rating

Campaign Against Antisemitism has rated the Party’s handling of this matter as “bad”. Our rating system is explained in our methodology. This case was last updated on 3rd June 2020.