Labour MP: To claim ‘from the river’ chant is antisemitic is to misinterpret

Labour’s John McDonnell has claimed that it is “a complete misinterpretation” to say the chant “from the river to the sea” is antisemitic. 

In comments on Times Radio that will infuriate many in the Jewish community, the former shadow chancellor also appeared to suggest Israel would have been “wiser” to pursue a strategy of “negotiation” after the Hamas terrorist atrocities of October 7th “rather than a large scale attack.”

On Saturday McDonnell spoke for a second weekend in succession at the pro-Palestine protest in central London, where he was joined by another former shadow cabinet member Andy McDonald MP, and the MP Nadia Whittome, with the three of them defying Keir Starmer’s stance over Israel’s war with Hamas by holding up a sign reading “Ceasefire Now, End The Siege”.

In his speech at the demo, Andy McDonald, who stepped down from a shadow cabinet position after a policy disagreement with Starmer, was filmed telling around 150, 000 people on the demo:”We won’t rest until we have justice. Until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river & the sea can live in peaceful liberty.”

The MP also appeared to play down the impact of the October 7th Hamas atrocities in his speech, as he said:”Many in our government want to tell us that this all started on October 7th and that is simply about retaliation against Hamas for the terrible crimes they committed on that day.

“But friends, we know that this is simply not the case.”

McDonald then read out an account from a Palestinian who claimed:”This is not about what happened with Hamas at all, it’s about ethnically cleansing Palestinian people.”

The Middlesbrough MP has a long history of involvement with pro-Palestine activists. Footage from 2015, shows him delivering a speech at a Teeside Palestine Solidarity Campaign march.

The march in Middlesbrough included frequent chants of “From The River To The Sea.”

He is also one of four Labour MPs yet to delete a social media post blaming Israel for the October 17th bombing of a hospital in Gaza, even though this has been disproven.

He recently claimed to have suspended an office employee for appearing to joke about the IRA assassination of King Charles’s great-uncle Lord Mountbatten.

Jewish News understands constituency caseworker Roisin Nic Lochlainn, an Irish republican sympathiser, also has a lengthy history of anti-Israel activity.

It is unclear if she still remains suspended from her role, after McDonald claimed to have suspended her earlier this month.

The Tory MP for Middlesborough South