Chris Williamson (re-suspended from the Labour Party) joins Jackie Walker and Marc Wadsworth in their suspension from the party. All three are left-wing, Corbyn-supporting actvists. The former London mayor, Ken Livingstone remains suspended along with others such as Jewish activist, Tony Greenstein.
Chris Williamson MP was suspended after telling a Momentum meeting that Labour’s reaction to anti-semitism allegations had led to the party being ‘demonised’. He was also filmed saying he had celebrated the resignation of MP Joan Ryan, former Chair of Labour Friends of Israel, and who has since quit Labour because she claimed she was a victim of anti-semitism'.
Jackie Walker, of mixed Black/Jewish ancestry and former Momentum Vice Chair, was suspended after she criticised Holocaust Memorial Day for commemorating only Jewish victims. “In terms of Holocaust day, wouldn’t it be wonderful if Holocaust day was open to all people who experienced holocaust?” she said.
Marc Wadsworth, Labour Party activist and founder member of the Anti-Racist Alliance, set up after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, was filmed accusing MP, Ruth Smeeth of working, ‘hand in hand’ with the Telegraph in smearing the Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn. She claimed that, as a Jew, his remarks were 'anti-semitic'.
The target is of course Jeremy Corbyn, who has become the enemy of the Establishment media, right-wing labour MPs and the Israeli Embassy. His anti-austerity platform, support for the Stop the War Coalition, and for Palestine and the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement ensures his demonisation.
When former Israeli lobby intern Alex Chalmers claimed “a large proportion” of the student Labour club “and the student left in Oxford more generally” had a “problem” with Jews, his claims were highlighted by the press. No one mentioned that Chalmers was a member of the far-right Progress faction in the Labour Party and soon after he defected to the Liberal Democrats.
When, a few months ago, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews organised a demonstration against Corbyn outside Parliament, they were happy to use anti-Semitic abuse against left-wing Jews who were holding a counter-protest in support of Corbyn.
Ben Southern-Thomas, from Jewish Voice for Labour, said “I came away crying” after anti-Semitic abuse from two demonstrators. He was told he was “not a real Jew” and was just “pretending to be a Jew.” He added that “being Jewish is a really important part of my identity,”
And so it goes. Recently Jonathan Goldstein, chair of the Jewish Leadership Council claimed on BBC Newsnight that Jeremy Corbyn is “the figurehead of an anti-Semitic political culture.”
We are involved in a struggle which is way beyond waiting for the next election polls to open. If we want any possibility of radical change ( no more wars, no more austerity, defence of the dwindling NHS, action on climate change … the list is long) we have to realise what is going on and act now. This means supporting the three W's - Williamson, Walker, and Wadsworth
