Jeremy Corbyn condemned for defending ‘anti-Semitic mural’
3 min read
Jeremy Corbyn has been condemned after it emerged he criticised the removal of a mural dubbed “anti-Semitic” by critics.
The Labour leader queried the decision when it was raised on a Facebook group he was a member of in 2012.
The painting, on a wall in London, featured a group of elderly men sitting around a table on the back of seemingly dead bodies.
Its creator wrote: “Tomorrow they want to buff my mural. Freedom of expression. London calling. Public art.”
Responding to the post, Mr Corbyn wrote: “Why? You are in good company. Rockerfeller destroyed Diego Viera’s mural because it includes a picture of Lenin.”
Labour MP Luciana Berger tweeted that she had contacted Mr Corbyn’s office for an explanation but had not received a reply.
In a statement, a spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: “In 2012, Jeremy was responding to concerns about the removal of public art on grounds of freedom of speech.
“However, the mural was offensive, used antisemitic imagery, which has no place in our society, and it is right that it was removed.”
In response Ms Berger, who is Jewish, tweeted: “The response from the spokesperson is wholly inadequate.
“It fails to understand on any level the hurt and anguish felt about anti-Semitism. I will be raising this further.”
Jennifer Gerber, director of Labour Friends of Israel, said: “It's absolutely repugnant that Mr Corbyn would seek to defend an anti-Semitic mural.
“The mural contained vile antisemitic tropes, from Jewish global control to hooked-noses and demonic conspiracy theories. If Mr Corbyn fails to apologise, explain and disassociate himself, it will lead many to conclude that he regards such works and the antisemitic messages they convey as acceptable. Zero tolerance to anti-Semitism within Labour must start at the very top."
Mr Corbyn has previously been criticised for being a member of the private Palestine Live Facebook group.
The group has shared a number of anti-Semitic messages and images.
But Mr Corbyn’s office has insisted he left the group shortly after becoming Labour leader and had not been aware of any anti-Semitic posts when he was a member.
Labour has also launched an investigation into whether any party members were responsible for the anti-Semitic posts.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
