If You're Beginning To Lose Hope As A Jewish Person, Change Is On Its Way

3 March 2019, 15:07

Maajid Nawaz tells Jewish people not to lose hope and that "change is on its way" after a Labour spokesperson was unable to back the proscribing of Hezbollah in its entirety and instead questioned evidence against the group.

Shadow minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said that it was the opposition's job to scrutinise the government, after the Labour Party claimed Home Office ministers had not presented "clear evidence" for the action against the group - which is already partially banned.

But when he later clarified that the party would not be opposing the motion, Labour MP Dame Louise Ellman said that she was "extremely concerned" that Mr Thomas-Symonds "was unable to give proper, full support to the banning of this terrorist organisation Hezbollah in its entirety."

She added: "Hezbollah are not our friends and today would have been a very good opportunity to say so."

Speaking on his LBC show, Maajid Nawaz had a message for Jewish listeners.

"It took until 2019 for Hezbollah, a jihadist and anti-Semitic terrorist group to be banned in this country.

"Yes, it took until 2019, but it took a Pakistani-British Home Secretary, a Pakistani-British Mayor of London, and a Pakistani-British radio presenter working together in a campaign with everybody else to ban Hezbollah.

"So if you're beginning to lose hope as a Jewish person in this country and if you're beginning to despair, just think of that.

"This is just one example where we did come together through our various platforms to make this happen.

"There's a gesture of peace between our two communities and perhaps hope for the future that change is on its way."