Jewish groups snub Jeremy Corbyn over anti-Semitism round table
2 min read
Two of Britain's leading Jewish groups have snubbed an invitation from Jeremy Corbyn to attend a round table meeting to discuss anti-Semitism in the Labour party.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council were among a number of organisations asked to take part in the discussion with the Labour leader and Jennie Formby, the party's general secretary, on 25 April.
But in a joint statement, they said they were already meeting with Mr Corbyn the day before to put forward their proposals for eradicating anti-Semitism from the Labour party.
And they said there was no point meeting him again until he had shown he was serious about tackling the problem.
The statement added: "We urge other Jewish communal organisations too follow our lead, and to focus on how Mr Corbyn and Ms Formby respond to the concrete actions that we have proposed.
"If the Labour party is serious about tackling this problem, they will take up our suggested actions at the JLC and Board of Deputies' meeting on 24 April. If they do not take them up, we will know they are not serious about tackling anti-Semitism."
The latest anti-Semitism row flared up last month when it emerged Mr Corbyn had defended a mural featuring Jewish caricatures which was threatened with removal.
That led the Board of Deputies and JLC to organise a demonstration in Parliament Square against anti-Semitism in the Labour party.
MPs are also set to debate the rise of anti-Semitism in society this afternoon.
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