Labour Friends of Israel has announced it will not have a stand at this year’s Labour Party Conference over safety concerns.
LFI claimed it would not be “responsible” to place staff on a stand at the five-day conference in Brighton due to safety concerns after “incidents of anti-Semitism”.
The Parliamentary group will not be among other groups and organisations exhibiting at the conference that begins this weekend, however it will hold a fringe event on Tuesday evening chaired by Dame Louise Ellman MP, with Deputy Leader Tom Watson and Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev speaking.
LFI said, “The ongoing abuse of Jewish party members – highlighted by July’s Panorama programme – and the failure of Jeremy Corbyn to do anything to deter his supporters from engaging in it, means that we have decided it would not be appropriate for us to have a stand at Labour party conference this year.”
“Our staff have faced incidents of antisemitism in previous years and, given that the situation appears to have further deteriorated, we do not feel it is responsible as an employer to put them in this environment.”
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Shadow Home Secretary, Diane Abbott MP, will be a speaker at a fringe event on Sunday hosted by Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The Labour frontbencher will be joined on stage by Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Lisa Nandy MP, Len McCluskey, General Secretary of Unite the Union, and Josie Bird, President of UNISON will also be speaking.
Labour Friends Of Israel won’t attend party conference due to antisemitic abuse but events hosted by individuals that say no Jewish state is allowable are welcomed and attended by Diane Abbott and Len McCluskey.
Got it? Good. pic.twitter.com/6zMwaSl6UM— Dave (@DavidB45212563) September 18, 2019
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