Letter sent by Professor Jonathan Rosenhead to Labour Party General Secretary Iain McNicol, 5 May. Rosenhead was reacting to the latest, most egregious case: the Labour Party suspension of anti-racist campaigner, Jacqueline Walker.
Dear Mr McNicol
I am frankly flabbergasted. As a Jew brought up in the Zionist tradition, who first joined the Labour Party in 1961, and who was subsequently a Labour Parliamentary candidate, I find the current wave of suspensions on suspicion of antisemitism beyond belief.
There is antisemitism in this country, so there is undoubtedly antisemitism in some Labour Party members. Maybe I am lucky, but I have never actually experienced it within the party in either word or deed. It is rare. Whether it is going up or down is hard to tell, because it is so insignificant. So why these suspensions? Why Tony Greenstein, a committed anti-racist campaigner? Why Jackie Walker for God’s sake? Both, extra-ordinarily, of Jewish heritage.
What has been going up, both within the Labour Party and in civil society generally, is an unwillingness to keep quiet about what Israel is inflicting on the Palestinians. What has been going up is the effort put out by Israel (and its unconditional supporters) to brand those who criticise Israel as, on the slightest excuse, antisemitic.
Why is the Labour Party buying this pernicious nonsense? Surely by now you must be aware of the downright lies being manufactured to ‘incriminate’ targets (and intimidate others). This is a mendacious campaign to which the Labour Party is giving credibility by its supine behaviour.
I have been campaigning for the Labour Party here in Hackney over the past weeks and today. It makes me sick at heart to see the Party brought into such disrepute by actions for which, I assume, you take ultimate responsibility. That means that you have the power to stop it.
Yours
Jonathan Rosenhead
Dear Jonathan
Thank you for your email.
Jackie Walker has been suspended pending an investigation and, therefore, no further comment can be made at this time.
Yours sincerely
Iain McNicol
General Secretary
Please sign the petition calling for Jackie Walker to be reinstated to the Labour Party
