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1. A timeline of Jeremy Corbyn’s key interventions and public statements about tackling antisemitism...
2. In April 2016 Jeremy Corbyn said he wanted to ensure the party took robust action against any member expressing anti-Jewish sentiments.
#LabourLeaks show Corbyn emailed then General Secretary Iain McNicol in April about antisemitic tweets, asking the party to take action.
#LabourLeaks show Corbyn emailed then General Secretary Iain McNicol in April about antisemitic tweets, asking the party to take action.
3. #LabourLeaks also show emails where Corbyn and John McDonnell make proposals to tackle antisemitism including efficient processes, detailed guidance on antisemitism, and forming a group of Jewish communal bodies and representatives to advise the Party on tackling antisemitism.
4. The emails are from April 2016, when the Party bureaucracy was controlled by the Right. These discussions led to Corbyn appointing Shami Chakrabarti to hold an independent inquiry with recommendations that were endorsed in EHRC report.
5. June 2016: Chakrabarti report published, welcomed as “hugely significant” by John Mann and as a “strong platform” by then Chair of JLM. In his speech, Corbyn called “Zio” a “vile epithet”, and spoke in detail about prevalent antisemitic tropes in Labour..
6. E.g. accusing Jewish people of being part of a financial or media conspiracy; making assumptions about Jewish people’s views on Israel/Palestine; or holding Jewish people responsible for the actions of Netanyahu’s government
7. Corbyn asked all Labour members not to use Hitler or Nazi comparisons, especially in the context of Israel, and explained that comparing every human rights atrocity to the Holocaust diminishes Hitler’s attempt to obliterate the Jewish people.
8. At this time, #LabourLeaks shows a lot of the antisemitic tropes Corbyn outlined in his speech were not being identified as antisemitic by HQ officials at the time, who were also clearly factionally opposed to the Corbyn leadership
9. Conference 2016: Corbyn said “antisemitism is an evil, it led to the worst crimes of 20th century. Every one of us has a responsibility to ensure that it is never allowed to fester in our society again” & “fight against prejudice and hatred of Jewish people with every breath”
10. December 2016: Labour adopts IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism with Corbyn’s support.
May 2017: Corbyn launches Labour Party’s Race and Faith Manifesto for the 2017 General Election, which includes endorsing IHRA definition.
May 2017: Corbyn launches Labour Party’s Race and Faith Manifesto for the 2017 General Election, which includes endorsing IHRA definition.
September 2017: JLM and Shami Chakrabarti wrote a rule change explicitly outlawing antisemitism and all forms of prejudice within Labour, the first political party in UK to do so. Corbyn and his office backed the rule change which was overwhelmingly passed by Conference.
12. Corbyn said: “we have just passed a motion on racism and antisemitism which is comprehensive and inclusive and is supported by all wings of the party" and that anyone using antisemitic language "is completely at odds with the beliefs of this party.”
13. February 2018: #LabourLeaks show Corbyn wrote to Iain McNicol saying “it is clear that the current processes are far too slow to meet the volume of disciplinary cases” yet “no procedural changes to the Party’s disciplinary processes have been brought forward by Party staff”
14. In the email to McNicol, Corbyn relayed concerns raised by JLM, Luciana Berger and other MPs, saying “it is a cause for real concern that Jewish voices from across the political spectrum of the Labour Party still feel that we do not take antisemitism seriously enough”.
15. March 2018: Corbyn apologised for the hurt and pain caused to Jewish community. Corbyn wrote to all Labour members about the particular forms antisemitism was taking in the Party and saying all members must “hear Jewish voices and listen”.
16. Corbyn did an interview with Jewish News in which he said he’d asked new General Secretary Jennie Formby to make tackling antisemitism her first priority.
April 2018: #LabourLeaks include Corbyn and John McDonnell emails outlining proposals to tackle antisemitism.
April 2018: #LabourLeaks include Corbyn and John McDonnell emails outlining proposals to tackle antisemitism.
17. Corbyn published an opinion piece in the Evening Standard, writing in detail about the particular forms antisemitism takes on the left. Meanwhile Formby started to introduce significant improvements to processes. https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/jeremy-corbyn-what-i-m-doing-tobanish-antisemitism-from-the-labour-party-a3821961.html
18. August 2018: Corbyn wrote in The Guardian saying “people who dish out antisemitic poison need to understand: you do not do it in my name. You are not my supporters and have no place in our movement.” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/03/jeremy-corbyn-antisemitism-labour-party
19. Corbyn published a video on his social media platforms, which was emailed to all Labour members. In the video he said “anyone who denies that this has surfaced within our Party is clearly actually wrong and is contributing to the problem.” https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1026063319935983616
20. September 2018: Corbyn spoke at Conference about the hurt and anxiety caused to many in the Jewish community that summer. Jennie Formby spoke in detail about the reforms to processes that had been made in her first few months in post.
21. January 2019: Corbyn released a video with Alf Dubs raising awareness about Holocaust denial and revisionism today, antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories and about the consequences of such rhetoric. The video was emailed to all Labour members. https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1089432824208347138
22. April 2019: Corbyn published his Passover video message, in which he met a young Jewish Labour member and he spoke about the “utterly disgusting” antisemitic abuse on social media and about antisemitic conspiracies being invoked in Labour meetings https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1119275024991555585
23. July 2019: Corbyn launched “No Place for Antisemitism”, a minisite with educational materials about antisemitism. He emailed all Labour members urging them to read the materials, saying “I have learned so much, I hope you will too”. https://labour.org.uk/no-place-for-antisemitism/
24. Corbyn promoted other educational materials on antisemitism e.g. sharing Momentum’s video about Rothschild conspiracies, describing it as a “really important video which spells out the vile and destructive nature of antisemitic conspiracy theories” https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1101541262392475648
25. July 2019: Corbyn proposed a rule change to introduce rapid expulsions in cases of clear-cut antisemitism and other forms of discrimination. This was endorsed by the Shadow Cabinet and approved by the NEC, and it was passed at Conference 2019.
26. September 2019: Corbyn tweeted calling out a banner displayed outside the secure zone during Conference, saying he was “disgusted” by it. The Labour Party reported the banner to the police, who removed it. https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1176060705738493952
27. Details about the significant improvements made from 2018-2020 can be found in Jennie Formby’s statement. Before 2018 reform was then stalled by an obstructive party bureaucracy controlled by the Labour Right https://twitter.com/Jennieformby1/status/1321769301532180482?s=20
