Our response to OULC’s statement: The Jewish Labour Movement is a highly partisan, avidly pro-Zionist organisation and not representative of all Jews in the Labour Party.
Oxford University Labour Club Statement Regarding Baroness Royall Anti-Semitism Report
17 May, 2016, OULC
We welcome the Baroness Royall report into the Oxford University Labour Club that has found that the Club is not institutionally anti-semitic. As the new Co-Chairs of the Oxford University Labour Club we have been committed to tackling the allegations recently put before OULC. The Oxford University Labour Club condemns any prejudice, intolerance and discrimination of any form and we take these allegations with the utmost seriousness. Anti-Semitism is abhorrent, repugnant and contrary to the values we as a Club hold dear. We fully accept all the recommendations from Baroness Royall’s report and look forward to collaborating with her and the national Labour Party in moving forward from these events.
Since taking office, we have already welcomed John Mann MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Anti-Semitism, to offer us recommendations and a fuller understanding of anti-Semitism. We hope to continue working with John and his team, and they have informed us that they intend to do so.
Furthermore we have taken additional steps this term to prevent any possible form of discrimination in OULC arising. These have both been supported by the University of Oxford administrators and Baroness Royall. These measures include:
- A new harassment policy, explicitly citing anti-Semitism as an unacceptable form of prejudice, and substantial consultative steps towards a complaints procedure;
- Formalisation of process at General Meetings so no member is left feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable through poor chairing of meetings;
- The establishment of a code of conduct for our online spaces;
- Consulting with liberation caucuses on how best to implement a club-wide harassment policy and complaints procedure;
- Complete and enthusiastic co-operation with the investigation into OULC, including making recommendations to the report, such as the establishment of a Labour Student’s full-time Harassment Officer, to act as an ombudsman and investigator in any such cases in future;
- Moves to affiliate with the Jewish Labour Movement;
- Moves to endorse the 8-point plan formulated by Richard Angell, as a means of supporting efforts to eradicate anti-Semitism from within the Labour Party.
In relation to Baroness Royall’s recommendations, as mentioned, we will implement each and every one as far as possible. We will enthusiastically work with all national Labour Party officers to deal with all the complaints made against the Club. We will move to affiliate to the Jewish Labour Movement as a gesture of our solidarity with Jewish people and vigorously support the 8-point plan to eradicate anti-Semitism within the Labour Party.
We would like to establish unequivocally that no one on the current Club Executive has been implicated by the findings of this report. From this, the Oxford University Labour Club will continue to strive to be a welcome and diverse political society; adopting change in ourself, to replicate in our community.
Co-Chairs of the Oxford University Labour Club
This is terrible, cowardly and deeply ironic. After being smeared as racist by a bunch of racist liars, they have now affiliated to a faction within Labour that is an arm of the Israeli ‘Labour’ Party.
If this party can be validly compared to anything, it is the racist National Party of apartheid South Africa. Only worse in a way, as it’s programme involves not merely oppressing and exploiting the indigenous people, but driving them out. Even though it has been pushed aside by even worse racist movements like Likud, this is the nature of Israeli ‘Labour’.
… making Oxford University Labour Club unjoinable for any thoughtful anti-racist.
OULC have a long list of Jewish organisations they can affiliate to as a gesture towards Jewish people. Surely Free Speech on Israel, led by Jewish people, could just as well advise them? Or what about Jews for Justice for Palestinians? Or the young people’s group Jewdas? Or the Labour Party based Jews for Jeremy? Deciding to listen only to the JLM may be a gesture towards some Jewish people, but it is an insult to a whole lot of other Jewish people. Indeed, the idea that Jewish people are all of one mind and that latching onto the nearest “Jewish” group is doing Jews any favours is itself a sign of antisemitism.