A thread on apologies, antisemitism, education and the EHRC:

This morning, @VictoriaLIVE asked @NazShahBfd if Jeremy Corbyn had been on the course the Labour Party have been claiming is ‘their’ education programme on antisemitism.

It’s a fair question. I did. So should he. /1

But the characterisation of it being ‘Labour’s’ education programme is quite another fib. It isn’t. It’s a course run by @BirkbeckUoL

@JewishLabour, having been commissioned by Labour in 2017 to deliver training, removed our labour when Labour high command removed support /2

Despite having travelled across the country, spending members subs on activists pleading with the Party not to be antisemitic, Labour sounded concerns without detail.

The Party attempted to go to non-affiliates to bypass us. /3

At the time, Labour we’re intentionally attempting to redefine antisemitism away from how the Jewish community understand it, to a more palatable version acceptable to the Party.

They spoke of commissioning “gold standard” training. We found it sinister and went on strike /4

I use industrial language, because that’s the impression that was given. It was like being in a dispute in which JLM and the Jewish community were expected to negotiate away a basic red line that racism is racism. /6

Fast forward to just a few weeks ago, Labour paid for Birkbeck to run its academic course for staff, NEC and NCC members over a number of days. I went to the first one.

It was very high level, and academic in nature. But it was challenging /7

Participants were told about early 19th century trade union xenophobia. The introduction of the Aliens Act and the racism of Beatrice Webb and the early Fabians.

Middle-age Christian antisemitism, and the link to anti-capitalist antisemitism was probed. /8

The antisemitism of the 2nd and 3rd Internationals even got a mention. As did the Soviet antisemitism of Stalinist Russia. The show trials, the expulsions and executions got mentions /9

A practical guide on how to spot antisemitism and deal with it decisively, it was not.

The starting point of the course continued the Macpherson principle, and emplored the participants to take the Jewish community as they found it. Not a rose tinted projection. /10

It used the same source material as JLM. @CST_UK data. @jprinstitute research. @Survation polling. Highlighted @BoardofDeputies as representative. It pointed to @TheIHRA as the comprehensive definition drawn up by Jewish organisations alongside Nation states. /11

As examples of clear and unambiguous anti-Jewish racism, the course turned to two now infamous images. The first, posted by a Labour member from a far right website was one that the Party initially decided not to pursue diciplinary action /12

The second, was the mural by Mear One. Defended by Corbyn on free speech grounds - despite the overwhelmingly evident antisemitic content. Hooked nosed Jewish bankers playing monopoly on the backs of the poor of different nations and cultures. /13

On #politicslive today, @AlfDubs condemned the mural as “reminiscent of the worst of the Nazi Party’s propaganda of the 1930s”.

It took 4 attempts at an apology at the time the mural story broke before anything resembling contrition finally emerged from LOTO.

/14

So should Jeremy Corbyn go on equalities training? Yes. Should he book himself on @BirkbeckUoL’s education programme? Yes. He’s got plenty to learn. Being a self declared anti-racist doesn’t make you immune from racism.

Should he apologise too? Yes. Clearly. /15

The obfuscation, the denial and the slowness of action have been the crucible that have allowed anti Jewish racism within the Party to fester, to the extent that the EHRC have launched a statutory investigation into institutional racism /16

That he refused time after time today on the Andrew Neil interview just compounds the view that he doesn’t feel there is anything to offer contrition for.

Teshuva - repentance and seeking forgiveness is a deep deep Jewish principle. /17

The Talmud says you can’t repent for falling short of your best, if you take the carcass of a dead lizard in your hand as you enter a mikvah. Translated: intent is key. If true regret isn’t in your heart, forgiveness is hard to grant /18

And that was the difference with @NazShahBfd. I was the first person ‘in the room’ with Naz after her social media history came to light. She was mortified at the time. No dead lizard carcasses to be found. /19

After four years of the situation never improving, only worsening, and the belligerence and denial growing, it’s no surprise that having never secured the kind of apology and action, JLM called in the EHRC to force the issue. /20

None of this excuses the deeper darkening of the national political discourses in all parties, and a debate that has all sides ‘othering’ the few, or migrants, or other minorities. None of this is healthy. Embracing the rhetoric of hate is sickening. /21

But I along with some very courageous people in @JewishLabour have been trying to get our own House Party in order for years, and haven’t succeeded. We sounded the alarm, warned of the consequences. We weren’t listened to. /22