What happened? 

On Thursday, October 19th at 10:00 BST, the EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission) released a long-awaited report on anti-Semitism (prejudice, discrimination and hate against Jewish people) in the Labour Party. The report concluded that the party had broken the law under Jeremy Corbyn and was responsible for acts of unlawful harassment and discrimination. It said that it had made three breaches of the 2010 Equality Act, including political interference in complaints of anti-Semitism and failure to provide sufficient training to those handling anti-Semitism complaints, among other things. It said the party’s leadership had failed properly to address the problem.  

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Around thirty minutes after the report was published, Jeremy Corbyn, the ex-leader of the party, released a statement saying that anti-Semitism was ‘absolutely abhorrent’ and that within his party, ‘one anti-Semite is one anti-Semite too many’. However, he also said that ‘the scale of the problem was dramatically overstated by our opponents … as well as by much of the media’. After another half an hour, the new leader, Sir Keir Starmer, made his own statement. He said that those who believed, like Corbyn, that the issue had been ‘exaggerated’ where ‘part of the problem’ and ‘should be nowhere near the Labour Party’. After this speech, Corbyn was asked by a TV reporter about Sir Keir’s statement and the EHRC’s findings. He repeated that ‘one anti-Semite is too many’, but again said that the complaints had been ‘exaggerated’ and over amplified. Six minutes after this interview was aired, the party announced the decision to suspend Corbyn.  

Why was the investigation even carried out? 

Jeremy Corbyn has been associated with things in the past that have considered to be anti-Semitic. He has been close to various anti-Semitic figures and violent terrorists and has spoken alongside them. In 2012, an anti-Semitic mural was put up in London with stereotypical and racist depictions of Jewish bankers playing a game of Monopoly resting on the backs of ordinary working people. (In the past, Jews have been associated, wrongly and despicably, with exploitative moneylenders and plutocrats, and have been described as having too much power and, due to this, received hate from various corners.)  When the mural was put up, Corbyn said he ‘saw no issue with it’. Afterwards, he expressed 'sincere regret' at failing to look more closely at the mural before questioning its removal. On another occasion he observed that ‘Zionists’ (a word that describes people who believe in the existence of the State of Israel and has often been used to mean Jews) couldn’t appreciate ‘English irony’ even if they had lived here ‘all their lives’. This statement, and the support of the mural, is anti-Semitic. He has also fraternized with members of terrorist organizations and Holocaust deniers. He has, on other occasions, refused to apologise for comments that have been interpreted as anti-Semitic, and his supporters have harassed various Jewish MPs and other figures, which many say he did not enough, if anything, to stop. Many former members of the party, such as Luciana Berger, who is Jewish, resigned in protest because of anti-Semitic abuse they had received from Corbyn supporters. Many Jewish MPs have also revealed in interviews that they had received anti-Semitic abuse during the day in their workplace and even in party meetings.  

What was Corbyn’s reaction? 

After the decision to suspend Corbyn from the party was announced, the former leader said that he was ‘very shocked and disappointed’ as he had ‘been in the party for most of his life’ and that his suspension was ‘unjust’. He said that he strongly believed that ‘anti-Semitism has no place in the party’ and that he had ‘opposed it and all forms of racism all his life’. He said that he would ‘appeal to the party and those that have made this decision’ to ‘kindly think again’. He claimed to have explained the comments he made after the report was published and what he meant by them. He said he was ‘not diminishing the issue of anti-Semitism', but he felt that the decision to suspend him from the party was ‘made in a very quick way’. He, arguably randomly, added that he and the rest of Labour were fighting for ‘economic and social justice’.  

What will happen next? 

The Labour Party will be subject to disciplinary measures because the report found the law had been broken. Any further action against Corbyn, such as expelling him from the party, will be taken by Labour’s National Executive Committee, not Sir Keir. When Sir Keir was elected as the new leader in April 2020, he said he wanted to focus on solving the problem of anti-Semitism by ‘tearing out the poison from its roots’, and so far, he has kept true to his word by, for instance, sacking the shadow education secretary, Rebecca Long-Bailey in June 2020, after she shared an article containing and anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. Corbyn has vowed to act against his suspension, but currently the future is very unclear. 

My opinion... 

As a young British Jew, I have watched with horror as Jeremy Corbyn has committed or tolerated various acts of anti-Semitism, as well as members of his party and his supporters. Until he became leader of the party in 2016, my parents were Labour voters and supported the party, but after he came to power, they stopped voting for them, feeling they couldn’t give support to Corbyn and therefore condone his behaviour. Anti-Semitism is one of the oldest forms of racism, dating back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The Labour Party has been a natural home for Jews until recently, and Jewish MPs who have left Labour have said that they are ashamed of the party that they have been members of for years, and that they now feel that it is not a safe place for Jews anymore.  

I think that Corbyn should be expelled from the party. It is unacceptable that someone who shares platforms with those who think Israel should be destroyed by force and Holocaust deniers should have any form of power in our political system. The misconception that because many British Jews are white and powerful and therefore cannot be subject to racism is deeply wrong and disgusting, because we are just like any minority. We are vulnerable, and the fact that this vulnerability has been taken advantage of by the second largest party in this country is terrifying, and quite honestly, makes me and many of my friends and family feel scared. When Corbyn was leader, if someone said ‘Labour’ to me, I almost automatically thought Jeremy Corbyn, anti-Semitism. It’s upsetting, I know, but it’s a fact, one which I hope can change under Keir Starmer’s leadership. I have hope that things will get better, and that is what we all must hold on to.  

If you want more information about this topic, look on reliable news websites such as the BBC for more detailed coverage. 

If you’re worried or upset about any of the themes raised in this article, talk to a trusted adult or contact us via our website. You can also visit Young Minds at https://youngminds.org.uk/ or call childline at 08001111. 

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