Anti-racism group criticised for inviting Ken Loach to judge school competition
Show Racism the Red Card under fire over its decision, with the Board of Deputies describing the filmmaker as a 'poor choice to judge a competition on anti-racism'
A leading anti-racism educational charity has been asked to remove the filmmaker Ken Loach from a panel judging submissions to a children’s art competition.
The filmmaker, best known for his 1969 drama Kes, is set to judge designs inspired by the theme of anti-racism together with the Jewish children’s author Michael Rosen for an annual contest run by Show Racism the Red Card.
The Board of Deputies urged the charity on Wednesday to reconsider its invitation due to past comments about the row over antisemitism in the Labour Party.
Loach drew controversy in the spring of 2018 when he called on the Labour Party to suspend MPs who appeared at the Enough is Enough rally against antisemitism outside Parliament.
The call was dismissed by Labour’s shadow energy minister Barry Gardiner, who defended MPs’ right to join the rally. The shadow cabinet member told BBC Question Time Loach “was absolutely wrong, and Jeremy [Corbyn] has said as much.”
A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies said it raised the matter with Show Racism the Red Card, describing Loach as a “poor choice to judge a competition on anti-racism” in a tweet on Wednesday.
Show Racism the Red Card’s chief executive Ged Grebby told Jewish News on Wednesday the charity was aware of “some opposition” to Loach being on the judging panel.
“We are taking these concerns seriously and this decision will be discussed by our management committee at their next meeting,” he said, noting the charity’s “24-year record of fighting antisemitism in all our education work and materials.”
Grebby had described Loach and Rosen as “valued supporters” in a statement announcing the two judges on Tuesday. Officials at the charity, he said, were “delighted that they’ve agreed to judge this year’s School Competition.”
Show Racism the Red Card was founded in 1996 with funding donated by the former Newcastle United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop. It delivers workshops in schools, offices and football stadiums.
Its annual schools’ competition launched in 1998 drew entries from 27,000 children in 474 schools across the country last year, according to the charity.
Ken Loach was reached for comment.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
