The NJA is cautiously optimistic about the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)’s decision to end its probe into antisemitism within the Labour Party.
The Labour Party has reportedly instituted a combination of external constraints and internal changes intended to address antisemitism and prevent it from metastasizing again within the party.
The Labour Party was placed in special measures in 2020 following a decision by the EHRC that found that Jewish members had been unlawfully discriminated against under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership (2015 – 2019).
While EHRC chief executive, Marcial Boo, is “content with the actions taken” by the party to tackle the issue of antisemitism within the Labour Party following the election of Keir Starmer as its leader in 2020, the NJA maintains a position of cautious optimism.
We greatly appreciate Sir Kier Starmer’s apology to the Jewish community for the hurt experienced during the Corbyn era. However, we must also reiterate Starmer’s own words that the EHRC’s decision is not “the end of the road” in the ongoing challenge of combating antisemitism with the Labour Party.
For example, only 2 weeks ago Labour MP Kim Johnson was made to apologise after she labelled the Israeli government “fascist” during the Prime Minister’s Questions. Notwithstanding the EHRC probe and the Party’s internal changes, there remains an antisemitic, anti-Israel, pro-Corbyn and unquestioning pro-Palestinian tranche that risks dragging Labour back towards its antisemitic recent past.
The NJA, and any discerning member of the Jewish community, should judge the Labour leadership on its actions, rather than words alone, when confronted with antisemitism within its ranks.