Rebecca Long Bailey rebuked over answer to activist’s ‘Israeli lobby’ question
'The individual who asked this question was a racist crank,' a spokesperson for the candidate's campaign said on Tuesday
Labour leadership hopeful Rebecca Long Bailey came under criticism over her response to an audience member’s “antisemitic” question at a rally in Liverpool.
An activist put a question to the candidate on Monday referencing what he described as the “Israeli lobby” during a Q&A session at the event.
“The people who prevented Jeremy Corbyn from becoming leader most are people like Margaret Hodge, John Mann, Tom Watson, and they are all members of the Israeli lobby,” the activist said in a video published by the website The Red Roar.
In the clip, the man challenged Long Bailey for describing herself as a Zionist, after she used the moniker at a Jewish Labour Movement hustings in London backed by Labour Friends of Israel and Jewish News.
In the clip, Long Bailey can be heard telling the activist: “I believe, like many people in the party do, and it was set out in our manifesto, in a secure viable Israel, against, alongside a viable Palestinian state.
“We’ve been a party that’s recognised a Palestinian state for some time now, and I’m proud of that, and the definition of a Zionist is somebody who believes in the right of Jewish people to self-determine and the existence of a Zionist state.”
“That doesn’t mean, and I know that some members were concerned about that … that as a party I don’t believe we should stand up for the rights of Palestinians. I do,” she said, sparking a round of applause.
When approached for comment, a spokesperson for Long Bailey’s leadership campaign said on Tuesday: “The individual who asked this question was a racist crank.
“Unfortunately that may happen in Q&As following public events, in the same way it very often does on BBC Question Time. Rebecca clearly explained why he was wrong and went on to advocate for a viable and secure state of Israel.”
But Margaret Hodge strongly criticised Long Bailey over her original response. The Jewish MP tweeted on Monday: “To be clear, accusing a Jew who calls out antisemitism of working on behalf of Israel is both conspiratorial & antisemitic.
“And using Zionist as a term of abuse isn’t much better. Why didn’t you challenge this straight away @RLong_Bailey? This is not what leadership looks like.”
Stephane Savary, a national vice chair of the Labour Party affiliate the Jewish Labour Movement, wrote on Twitter that Long Bailey had “totally failed to challenge a disgustingly antisemitic question.”
Long Bailey, who is backed by the shadow chancellor John McDonnell, is vying to replace Corbyn as leader on 4 April. She is standing against the shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer and the Wigan MP Lisa Nandy.
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.
