Jewish News Editor Brands Labour's Antisemitism Policy As "Offensive"
26 July 2018, 15:19
The News Editor from a prominent Jewish newspaper criticised Labour's current antisemitism policy telling Shelagh Fogarty it is "offensive" and "disturbing" to the Jewish community.
Three of the UK's leading Jewish newspapers produced a joint editorial warning a Jeremy Corbyn led government would pose an existential threat to Jews living in Britian.
The Jewish Chronicle, Jewish News and The Jewish Telegraph published similar front pages attacking Labour's decision not to accept an internationally agreed definition of antisemitism into the party's code of conduct.
Justin Cohen, the News Editor of Jewish News, told LBC: "If they feel they have to go out of their way to remove suggestions that Nazi polciy is in someway comparable to the policies of any Israeli government, then that couldn't possibly be more offensive to the Jewish community... and the fact they feel they need to take it out is particularly disturbing."
And Shelagh added: "I think they [Labour supporters,] mistake [Jeremy Corbyn] and his policies and the politics of the hard left and it revolves around America and around capitalism... I think their hatred is wrapped up in a bow, and that bow is called Israel. That's my theory.
"And so they have an internal antipathy to anything they regard as vaguely related to those things. Or supported by those things. Or driven by those things. Or championed by those things."
Justin replied: "I think it all comes down to the ability of a comumnity to be able to define antisemitism... the Jewish community is the only minority community that's being denied that right. Why? Why when we know this is a particular problem in the Labour Party.
"Jeremy Corbyn has recognised this is a problem in the Labour Party. Why is the Jewish community being deneid that right?"
