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Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves Islington Town Hall through the backdoor after a meeting following the results of the general election, Dec. 13, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Tom Nicholson.
Jeremy Corbyn, the outgoing leader of the opposition Labour party in the UK, was roundly condemned on Friday by an organization fighting antisemitism in the party’s ranks over comments he made in a newspaper interview.
Corbyn — who will be replaced as Labour’s leader next week following his poor showing in last December’s general election — told The Daily Telegraph that he was confident Labour was able and willing to discipline party activists accused of antisemitism.
“There is no evidence to suggest that Labour’s current disciplinary process for tackling antisemitism is fit for purpose,” said Fiona Sharpe — spokesperson for Labour Against Antisemitism — said in a statement on Friday.
Sharpe said that it was “misleading” for Corbyn to have told the paper definitively “that Labour party members are suspended or expelled for apparent antisemitism.”
She said: “In the last 18 months serious allegations of anti-Jewish racism leveled at high profile figures such as former trade union leader Mark Serwotka, Labour election candidate Maria Carroll, and Labour parliamentarian Zarah Sultana have been dismissed.”
Sharpe added that the “British Jewish community has had more than enough of Mr Corbyn and his leadership. We hope that the new leader will work in partnership with the recognized communal organizations to repair the damage caused by Mr, Corbyn and begin a reform process that may one day restore the community’s faith in the Labour Party and return it to electability.”