Labour lifts suspension of activist who sent ‘Jewish donors’ tweet to Tom Watson
George McManus announces he is back in the party just eight weeks after making 'antisemitic' comments regarding the deputy leader
A Labour activist’s suspension has been lifted just eight weeks after he made comments about Deputy Leader Tom Watson being in the pay of “Jewish donors”.
George McManus announced the disciplinary action was over Twitter, following his remarks in August which were condemned by Momentum as ‘appalling and antisemitic’.
He said: “I’m delighted that my Labour Party suspension has been lifted. Time to get back into the ring. Britain needs a Labour government. #HopenotHate. Corbyns coming.”
McManus was backed by Momentum and was standing for a place on Labour’s National Policy Forum when he made the remark. He tweeted that the Electoral Commission had stated that Watson had received “£50,000+ from Jewish donors”, adding “at least Judas only got 30 pieces of silver”.
The activist deleted his Twitter comment and apologised to Watson, but was nevertheless suspended hours later.
The comment was made the subject of an official complaint by Watson’s colleague, Luciana Berger. She and other MPs, such as Wes Streeting, denounced it as anti-Semitic.
Momentum’s official account tweeted condemnation of “the appalling, antisemitic comment made by George McManus”, adding that he was “rightly suspended” and that “we will not tolerate any antisemitism, racism or online abuse from candidates we support.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints of antisemitism extremely seriously and we are committed to challenging and campaigning against it in all its forms. All complaints about antisemitism are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.”
McManus apologised online to Watson, writing at the time “for my drawing an analogy between accepting money from Jewish donors and the biblical story of the betrayal by Judas.
“I fully accept that such an analogy is wrong and am sorry for making the comparison. I have now deleted the original post.”
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.
