Jeremy Corbyn apologises for hosting event where Israel was compared to the Nazis
3 min read
Jeremy Corbyn has apologised for hosting an event in Parliament at which the Israeli government was compared to the Nazis.
According to the Times the Labour leader himself spoke at the ‘Never Again - for Anyone’ event, which was held on Holocaust Memorial Day in 2010.
It featured Hajo Meyer - a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz and an anti-Zionist who repeatedly made the comparison between the Nazis and Israel.
Palestinian activist Haidar Eid also told the meeting: "The world was absolutely wrong to think that Nazism was defeated in 1945.
"Nazism has won because it has finally managed to Nazify the consciousness of its own victims."
Confronted over the event, Mr Corbyn told the Times: "Views were expressed at the meeting which I do not accept or condone.
"In the past, in pursuit of justice for the Palestinian people and peace in Israel/Palestine, I have on occasion appeared on platforms with people whose views I completely reject. I apologise for the concerns and anxiety that this has caused."
Labour MP Louise Ellman said she "absolutely appalled" that Mr Corbyn appeared at the event.
Karen Pollock of the Holocaust Educational Trust also hit out at the Labour leader.
Meanwhile, John McDonnell has expressed his regret over the ongoing anti-Semitism row, describing it as the "low point of the year" for the Labour party.
The Shadow Chancellor spoke out as Labour struggles to deal with mounting controversy over its attempts to tackle anti-Jewish abuse.
The later row was ignited by the party's refusal to fully adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism, along with a list of illustrative examples.
That has led to a wave of criticism from Labour MPs, Jewish community groups and rabbis, who have all called on party bosses to think again.
Speaking to the Independent, Mr McDonnell said: "The issue for me is that it’s upsetting but partly because you think how have we got ourselves in this situation?
"We’ve got to get this sorted it out but also in the life experiences of members of the Jewish community, while we have these disputes going on in the media and elsewhere, there isn’t sufficient campaigning on the ground to tackle those.”
Asked what Labour’s low point this year had been, he replied: "That’s been the anti-Semitism, undoubtedly.
"I thought we had got to a position where we are able to move on – we’re not – we’ve got to resolve that by September.
"The discussion is taking place I think that will enable that to happen."
Mr McDonnell said he had been "cut to the core" when Jewish community groups led a march in Parliament Square earlier this year in protest over Labour’s failure to tackle anti-Semitism, calling the event "deeply, deeply upsetting".
In a separate development, Jeremy Corbyn ally Peter Willsman was forced to apologise last night after being recorded claiming some members of the Jewish community complaining about anti-Semitism in the Labour party were "Trump fanatics".
Mr Willsman – who sits on the party’s ruling National Executive Committee - has agreed to undertake "equalities training" over his comments.
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