That’s it. Corbyn is done with antisemitism smears and the ‘stress’ they’re causing Jewish people.

Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs


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It looks like Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has had enough of the “mischievous” antisemitism smears against him and the “stress” they are causing Jewish people.

“Unfounded allegations”

Corbyn made the remarks in a letter to the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews on 2 May. The right-wing media have again been accusing Corbyn of antisemitism. This time, over a foreword he wrote for the 2011 edition of John Hobson’s 1902 book Imperialism: A Study.

In his letter, the Labour leader wrote:

I am deeply saddened that the mischievous representation of my foreword to the book will have caused real stress within the Jewish community.

He also branded the claims “false” and said the allegations are:

the latest in a series of equally unfounded allegations of anti-Jewish racism that Labour’s political opponents have made against me.

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Context is everything

Hobson’s book contains some antisemitic statements like claiming finance was driven:

by men of a singular and peculiar race who have behind them many centuries of financial experience.

But the work is predominantly a historical piece of political writing that’s taught in UK universities. Indeed, professor Donald Sassoon of Queen Mary University said:

Hobson’s Imperialism: A Study has been taught for years in universities up and down the country (I taught it myself). No one has ever felt the need to highlight the 10 lines or so, in a book of 400 pages, which are antisemitic, but Corbyn was expected to do so.

And despite the Guardian attacking Corbyn for the foreword, the paper itself praised the book for changing the “contours of social thought”. And the Guardian’s Michael White previously described the book as an “influential classic”, noting that it “contains Jeremy’s own perfectly decent introductory essay”. Former prime minister Gordon Brown, meanwhile, suggested Hobson was a promoter of liberty to look up to.

In his letter, meanwhile, Corbyn also said:

I am proud to have been a long-standing participant in anti-racist campaigns and encourage everyone to give practical and moral support to victims of racism.

Featured image via RT UK/ YouTube

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  • Show Comments

    1. A clear and decisive letter. The whole thing is ridiculous and most people can see the MSM campaign (supported by the Israeli Embassy as the Lobby video shows) against Corbyn in this regard is utter rubbish especially when they are totally ignoring the Tory Party’s blatant Racism and Islamophobia.

      This Government Tory Government and the MSM appears to be totally influenced by Jewish Organisations in the UK and the Israeli Government are clearly influencing Trump’s attitude towards Palestine). All these anti-Semitism claims do is to further fuel anti-Israeli/Jewish sentiment especially given the atrocities and murders they are committing in Palestine and their Fascist Government – who actually posted online that Genocide was the only solution to the Palestinian problem.

      The Conservative Friends Of Israel and the Labour Friends of Israel should be disbanded as they are heavily influenced by the Israeli Embassy (again, the video The Lobby shows a representative from the Israeli Embassy, as he describes himself, not being part of the diplomatic core but to deliver special interests, offering Joan Ryan now a TIG Change UK MP having previously been a Labour MP, £1m pounds to start a smear campaign against Jeremy Corbyn.

      We live in a democracy?

      Don’t think so

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    2. I am pleased to see this. It was obvious that these pressure groups would not cease until they had got rid of Corbyn, simply because he stands up for Palestine and also cannot be corrupted. The Labour party en masse need to stand up to these people and reveal the crimes of Israel to the wider public.

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    3. Most people who bang on about antisemitism are themselves virtue signaling racist. They voted for the immigration act which gave us the Windrush scandal, and have made a point of expelling Black people from the Labour party for criticizing Israel, and are often proven Islamophobes. (In fact so are windows, the word Islamophobe has a big red line under it)

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    4. It’s been a very effective campaign so far and has had Corbyn and Labour on the back foot. So this campaign will continue, whatever Corbyn does. But he’s been slow to stand firm to his principles – this letter was a long time coming and it was a good one – but he can write as many replies as he likes, it won’t stop this effective slurring. . I wonder if he’ll reply to the riposte to his letter?. His letter shouldn’t be seen as “hitting back” in any way, you can’t effectively “hit back” at this Jewish organisation, as the sensitivities around this matter are so obvious. But to me, I would seriously contend that the memory of the Jewish Holocaust is being cynically misused by Zionists fundamentalists and the the very right wing government of Israel. It is a betrayal of their ancestors’ suffering to use the charge of anti-semitism as a political fig-leaf for their own inhumanity to others. The over-the-top exaggeration that Labour is an “existential” threat to Jews in the UK is laughable. In addition, this campaign is actually stirring up latent anti-semitism in the community – in the UK for instance it’s been dormant for years. But what does the Israeli government care?Fortunately, a large number of the citizens who vote Labour have not been taken in.

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