Sadiq Khan targeted by anti-Semitic abuse after attacking Corbyn

Sadiq Khan has been on the receiving end of a barrage of abuse including anti-Semitism after backing Owen Smith to be Labour’s next leader.

The London mayor was highly critical of the current leader and his role in the EU referendum campaign in an article for the Observer, hours before ballot papers were sent out in the two-way leadership contest.

Soon after his article was published, he received a number of messages suggesting he had been influenced by Jews. One asked “Who owns you @sadiqkhan?”, alongside a picture of a kippah-wearing mayor eating matzah during an event ahead of Pesach.

Another said Khan “spends his time writing articles to help his masters in Tel Aviv”, while a further tweet attacked the mayor as a “Zionist” together with an image of Khan in front of a London Jewish Forum banner.

Khan repeatedly condemns cases of anti-Semitism within the party during the race for City Hall, saying he wore a “badge of shame” over the scourge and suggesting the Labour leadership could have taken a tougher stance.

A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn said: “Jeremy has consistently spoken out against anti-Semitism in all its forms and condemned all abuse. He has repeatedly called for a kinder, gentler politics, and recently launched

“Respect and Unity”, a code of conduct calling on all Labour members and supporters to conduct themselves with a high standard of ehaviour.”

• READ: The week London’s mayor declared war on Jeremy Corbyn