A week after the Jewish Chronicle posed a series of questions to Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn about his association with Holocaust deniers and antisemites, the issue is now at the forefront of the campaign.
Last week, the newspaper questioned Mr Corbyn’s alleged ties to Holocausr denier Paul Eisen, his defence of controversial Anglican vicar Stephen Sizer, and his support for blood libel cleric Raed Salah.
The questions – and a further request by the Jewish Chronicle to interview Mr Corbyn this week – initially received no direct response, but prompted other media outlets to push him on the issues raised. Then on Wednesday, eight days after the original request, Mr Corbyn’s office supplied their answers.
Last Thursday, after one of the questions highlighted Mr Corbyn’s imminent appearance at a conference alongside Carlos Latuff, an antisemitic cartoonist, the Islington North MP pulled out of the event.
The Community Security Trust welcomed Mr Corbyn’s decision, but communications director Mark Gardner said the withdrawal had come over a month after CST first made the politician aware of the “highly objectionable speakers” he was due to appear alongside.
By last Friday, Mr Corbyn’s fellow MPs had started to speak out. Jewish ex-minister and current Shadow Cabinet member Ivan Lewis said his colleague’s views were “a cause for serious concern”.
Source: Jewish Chronicle
