During the five years that Jeremy Corbyn led Labour, there was a constant stream of damaging accusations that he was allowing anti-semitism to take hold of the party.
Asa Winstanley of the Electronic Intifada has put together a devastating exposé, documenting a co-ordinated smear campaign by the Israel lobby in the UK, in partnership with the Labour Right and the Israeli embassy.
The campaign was designed to halt criticism of the illegal Israeli occupation and to bring down Corbyn, a staunch Palestine solidarity activist.
Time and again, damaging claims were made that were eventually shown to be lies or gross distortions.
Black activist and journalist Marc Wadsworth was expelled after accurately saying at a press conference that someone from the Daily Telegraph had just given a copy of a press release to right-wing Labour MP Ruth Smeeth: ‘so you can see who’s working hand in hand.’
Smeeth claimed she had been ‘verbally attacked’ and that Wadsworth had used a traditional anti-semitic slur, attacking her ‘for being part of a “media conspiracy”.’ Wadsworth had not used the word ‘conspiracy’ but, after two years’ suspension, was expelled from the party for these comments.
There is a lengthy section on the slow destruction of Ken Livingstone MP – one of Corbyn’s most important allies – who was condemned as a ‘lying racist’ and ‘Nazi apologist’ by right-wing Labour MP John Mann in 2016.
Livingstone had said, in a radio interview, that Hitler’s policy in 1932 was to move German Jews to the Middle East, adding: ‘He was supporting Zionism, before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.’
Weaponising Anti-semitism runs through the shocking history of Nazi-Zionist co-operation which Livingstone was referring to. Winstanley comments: ‘stating historical facts is not evidence of anti-semitism.’
The Labour party, under Corbyn, disagreed. Comparing Israeli government actions or Zionism to some aspect of Nazi Germany became reason enough for disciplinary action, suspension or even expulsion from the party.
Winstanley describes Corbyn’s decision not to speak up for Livingstone, who eventually resigned from the party after two years’ suspension, as ‘a fateful choice that would have repercussions for years.’
In general, Winstanley argues, Corbyn failed to speak out against the witch hunt and constantly gave ground to the Israel lobby which, for its part, constantly undermined his leadership.