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A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 8 November 2019
Long festering charges of anti-Semitism hit Labour's Corbyn

By GREGORY KATZ "Our party has confronted Minister Tony Blair, who led Germany's sieges of Lenin- Watson's resignation under-
Associated Press the issue, we have sus- the party to three straight grad and Stalingrad during score the unease many La-
LONDON (AP) — The long- pended or expelled mem- election triumphs. World War II. bour lawmakers have with
festering issue of anti-Semi- Corbyn's left-wing views,
tism in Labour Party ranks is his leadership style and his
coming back to haunt Jer- reluctance to take a clear
emy Corbyn in the first days stand on whether Britain
of his election campaign should leave the Europe-
to unseat Prime Minister an Union or remain in the
Boris Johnson and take up 28-nation bloc.
residence at 10 Downing Johnson pushed hard for
Street. the early election, which
Corbyn's bid for Britain's is coming more than two
top job was sidetracked years ahead of schedule,
Thursday by renewed after Parliament thwarted
claims that he is not fit to his plans to have Britain
be prime minister because leave the EU on Oct. 31.
of his perceived tolerance Johnson hopes to win an
of anti-Semitic attitudes, an outright majority in Parlia-
allegation Corbyn strongly ment so he can pass a di-
denied. vorce bill in time for Britain
The criticism came from to leave by the next Brexit
a former member of the deadline on Jan. 31.
Labour Party's inner circle Until now, Brexit has been
who took the extraordinary the main campaign issue,
step of urging British voters but Labour is trying to shift
to choose Johnson, and the debate onto domestic
from an influential Jewish issues such as health care,
newspaper that urged Brit- the environment and social
ons to shun Corbyn in the welfare.
country's Dec. 12 general John Bercow, the for-
election. mer House of Commons
Ian Austin, a close aide to Britain's Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn unveils the Labour battle bus while on the general speaker who oversaw Brit-
Gordon Brown, the Labour election campaign trail in Liverpool, England, Thursday Nov. 7, 2019. ain's bruising parliamentary
Party's last prime minister, Associated Press battles over Brexit, told The
said the party has been Associated Press in an inter-
poisoned by "anti-Jewish bers, we have an educa- On Thursday, the Jewish Critics have also con- view Thursday that leaving
racism" under Corbyn. Aus- tion program and all of Chronicle took the unusual demned him for attending the EU would be a historic
tin was one of seven law- that has been set up since step of publishing a front- a 2014 wreath-laying cere- mistake but added it's not
makers who left the Labour I became the leader of page editorial aimed at mony honoring Palestinians too late to reverse the de-
Party in February because this party, and we'll carry "non-Jews" who would not whom Israel has linked to cision.
of allegations of anti-Semi- on doing exactly that," he normally read the paper. It the murders of 11 Israelis at Other parties competing
tism and its failure to take a said. said fears were raised when the 1972 Munich Olympics. in the Dec. 12 election in-
clear stand on Brexit. "There are many Jewish Corbyn became party Senior Labour figures fought clude the Liberal Demo-
On Thursday, he urged "de- people in this country who leader but that some had back against the allega- crats, who want to cancel
cent, traditional, patriotic are members of the Labour hoped he would become tions raised Thursday. Brexit; the Scottish Nation-
Labour voters" to vote for Party, supporters of the La- more tolerant. John McDonnell, Labour's al Party, which opposes
Johnson and the Conser- bour Party, work with the "The opposite has hap- economy spokesman and Brexit and wants Scotland
vatives rather than let Cor- Labour Party and they do pened. a key Corbyn ally, said La- to leave the U.K.; and the
byn take power. not share the views that The near-total inaction of bour was "saddened" by Brexit Party, which says Brit-
He said the "scandal of an- have been put forward on Mr. Corbyn and the rest of criticism in the Jewish me- ain should leave the bloc
ti-Semitism" has poisoned the front page of the Jew- the Labour leadership in dia but added "we're do- without a deal.
Labour since Corbyn was ish Chronicle," Corbyn said. dealing with anti-Semites in ing everything they asked Three parties that want to
elected party leader in The controversy erupted as the party has both embold- of us to address this issue." stay in the EU — the Lib-
2015. Corbyn has been trying to ened them and encour- He accused Johnson and eral Democrats, the Green
Those concerns were focus attention on his par- aged others," the newspa- the Conservatives of racism party and the Welsh party
echoed by the Jewish ty's economic plans, based per said. but did not provide specif- Plaid Cymru — announced
Chronicle weekly news- on a broad call for social Over his long career, Cor- ics. an agreement Thursday
paper, a fixture in Britain's justice and the restoration byn has stoked contro- "Voting for Boris Johnson, if not to run against each
Jewish community since of social services cut by the versy by championing the you are a Labour voter and other in dozens of seats in
1841, which said its polling Conservatives since 2010. grievances of groups such you want to protect your order to make it more likely
indicated that nearly half The 70-year-old Corbyn has Hamas, Hezbollah and the community, is absolutely that pro-EU candidates will
of Britain's Jews would "seri- been dogged by allega- Irish Republican Army. absurd and it makes no prevail.
ously consider" leaving the tions of anti-Semitism since He has been accused of sense at all," said Rebecca The arrangement negotiat-
country if Corbyn becomes his spectacular rise from failing to expel party mem- Long-Bailey, Labour's busi- ed by the Unite to Remain
prime minister. the obscurity of Labour's bers who express anti-Se- ness spokeswoman. group means there will
Corbyn denied the allega- back benches to the par- mitic views and has been Labour's fledgling cam- be 60 election districts in
tions, saying that "anti-Sem- ty's top spot. criticized for past state- paign was also rocked by which voters will have only
itism is a poison and an evil He has moved Labour ments, including a 2010 the resignation Wednesday one candidate who favors
in our society" and that he sharply to the left and away speech in which he com- of deputy leader Tom Wat- staying in the EU, which the
was working to root it out of from the center ground pared Israel's blockade son. group hopes will boost their
the Labour Party. staked out by former Prime of the Gaza Strip to Nazi Austin's comments and chances.q