1. Use of antisemitic tropes.
This means using written or verbal
phrases or images that suggest antisemitic ideas or stereotypes.
Examples that we found included referring to the idea that Jews are
part of a wider conspiracy, or are responsible for controlling others
and manipulating the political process, including the Labour Party. For
example, referring to Jewish people being a ‘fifth column’.
Example:
Local Rossendale Borough councillor, Pam Bromley, posted on
Facebook: ‘Had Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party pulled up the
drawbridge and nipped the bogus AS [antisemitism] accusations in the
bud in the first place we would not be where we are now and the fifth
column in the LP [Labour Party] would not have managed to get such a
foothold ... the Lobby has miscalculated ... The witch hunt has created
brand new fightback networks ... The Lobby will then melt back into its
own cesspit.’
2. Suggesting that complaints of antisemitism are fake or smears.
Labour Party agents denied antisemitism in the Party and made
comments dismissing complaints as ‘smears’ and ‘fake’. This conduct
may target Jewish members as deliberately making up antisemitism
complaints to undermine the Labour Party, and ignores legitimate and
genuine complaints of antisemitism in the Party. These comments
went beyond simply describing the agents’ own personal experience
of antisemitism in the Party.
Example:
In media interviews in April 2016, Ken Livingstone, a Labour Party
National Executive Committee (NEC) member, made reference to social
media posts made by Naz Shah MP. Naz Shah’s posts included a
graphic suggesting that Israel should be relocated to the United States,
with the comment ‘problem solved’, and a post in which she appeared to
liken Israeli policies to those of Hitler.
Naz Shah apologised for her comments in Parliament and conceded
that they caused ‘upset and hurt to the Jewish Community’. Ken
Livingstone repeatedly denied that these posts were an
sought to minimise their offensive nature. In his denial, Ken Livingstone
alleged that scrutiny of Naz Shah’s conduct was part of a smear
campaign by ‘the Israel lobby’ to stigmatise critics of Israel as
antisemitic, and was intended to undermine and disrupt the leadership
of Jeremy Corbyn MP.
We have taken into account Ken Livingstone’s right to freedom of
expression, which is protected by Article 10 of the ECHR. Article 10 is
relevant when Labour Party members, for example, make legitimate
criticism of the policies of the Israeli government, as we explain above.
The comments made by Naz Shah went beyond legitimate criticism of
the Israeli government, as she acknowledged, and are not protected by
Article 10. Neither is Ken Livingstone’s support for those comments.
Example:
In April 2019, Pam Bromley posted on Facebook: ‘Looks like fake
accusations of AS [antisemitism] to undermine Labour just aren’t
working, so let’s have Chris Williamson reinstated’.
On 15 December 2019, she posted on Facebook about Jeremy Corbyn:
‘My major criticism of him – his failure to repel the fake accusations of
antisemitism in the LP [Labour Party] – may not be repeated as the
accusations may probably now magically disappear, now capitalism has
got what it wanted’.
Effect of antisemitic
.
