UK Jewish Groups Decry Election of ‘Antisemitic’ Labour Candidate to Parliament

Jewish groups in the UK have expressed outrage over the election to parliament this week of a Labour Party candidate accused of antisemitism.

Euan Philipps — spokesperson for Labour Against Antisemitism (LAAS) — said on Friday that it was a “dark day” for the party at the same time as far-left leader Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters celebrated the victory of Labour candidate Lisa Forbes, who was found to have spread antisemitic propaganda on social media.

Forbes was revealed to have liked a post on Facebook that accused British Prime Minister Theresa May of having a “Zionist Slave Master’s Agenda.”

She also praised a post that said the Mossad created and funded Islamic extremist groups.

Forbes has apologized for these actions, but Jewish organization remained unconvinced.

“When evidence of Ms Forbes allegedly antisemitic views emerged last weekend, she should have been forced to stand down immediately, as urged by the Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews,” Philipps said. He noted that “the Labour Party’s only Jewish affiliate, the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) also announced it would not be campaigning for Ms Forbes.”

The JLM urged Labour to suspend Forbes, arguing that the delight expressed over her election victory exposed the party’s willingness to tolerate open antisemitism in its ranks.

“Ms Forbes will have to go far, far further than her statements at the weekend to demonstrate to our members and the Jewish community that she isn’t racist against Jews,” the JLM said in a statement on Friday.