Jon Lansman says Jeremy Corbyn was 'on a night off' when he attended Jewdas event
3 min read
Jon Lansman has defended Jeremy Corbyn's decision to attend an event organised by a controversial Jewish group, insisting it was his "night off".
The Momentum boss said the Labour leader had not even told his office that he had accepted Jewdas's invitation to attend their Passover Seder next to his Islington North constituency.
Mr Corbyn has been criticised by Labour MPs and other Jewish groups for participating in last night's event.
Gideon Falter, chairman of Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, said: "Following the events of the past few weeks and indeed the past three years, this is a very clear two fingered salute at mainstream British Jewry."
Jewdas have claimed that accusations of anti-Semitism against the Labour party are a smear aimed at undermining Mr Corbyn's leadership.
According to the Guido Fawkes website, guests at the Seder shouted "f*ck capitalism" and booed the name of mainstream Jewish groups.
But on BBC Radio Four's Today programme, Mr Lansman said: "(Jeremy) sat down with this group for a Passover Seder last night because they were people who lived in his constituency and it was his night off, he had nothing in his official diary, his office didn't know he was there. So I don't think this is as significant as it's being made out."
Mr Lansman, who is a close ally of Mr Corbyn and is Jewish himself, insisted Jewdas were "very much part of the Jewish community", even if they did not share other groups' attitude towards Israel.
Last night's event took place amid the ongoing row which has engulfed Labour since it emerged Mr Corbyn had once defended an anti-Semitic mural featuring elderly Jewish men playing Monopoly on the backs of oppressed workers.
That led to a demonstration outside Parliament by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council.
Momentum yesterday issued a statement admitting that anti-Semitism in Labour was worse than initially thought, and dismissing claims that the accusations were "right-wing smears".
Mr Lansman criticised moves by some Labour party branches to discipline MPs who attended the Parliament Square demo.
However, he said that some Labour MPs were using the ongoing row "opportunistically" to attack Mr Corbyn.
"You shouldn't have to explain why you went to an anti-racist rally, which is certainly why some Labour MPs did go there," he said. "It's fair enough to answer a question, it's not fair enough to deselect someone for attending a demonstration about anti-Semitism.
"It's clear that there is real concern in the Jewish community about anti-Semitism and we have to take that seriously, even if sometimes people opportunistically seize on anti-Semitism as an issue to undermine Jeremy."
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: "Jeremy was invited to a Passover Seder with Jewish members of his local community.
"He wrote to the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council last week to ask for an urgent formal meeting to discuss tackling anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and in society."
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