Two politicians apologise to Jewish News

Two politicians issued apologies this week over slurs against Jewish News journalists.

Editor Richard Ferrer was last week subjected to a barrage of anti-Semitic abuse after claims that a message posted on an Islamic website urging Jihad against the “evil West” originated from an I.P. address at the Daily Mail bearing his name.

The false allegation was retweeted hundreds of times, including by Baroness Hussein-Ece, gender and equalities spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats in the Lords, who in one message on the site wrote: “Journo should be sacked.”

But the peer this week issued a public apology, saying: “It’s been brought to my attention that a tweet about someone posing online on a Muslim network was not true. My apologies to @richferrer.”

In an email to Ferrer, she added: “I am extremely sorry that I believed it to be genuine, and I am immediately deleting any tweets relating to this. I’m also sorry that I had not picked up earlier as I would have ensured it was deleted sooner, but I have not seen any tweets or information which refuted this.”

Meanwhile, Labour Party whip Graham Jones has “unreservedly apologised” over a tweet accusing this newspaper’s news editor Justin Cohen of “killing children” in Gaza.

The MP for Haslingden and Hyndburn told his followers: “The killing in Israel/Gaza/West Bank is not a civil war or an act of defence. It is a series of murders.”

When Cohen responded that Israel takes steps to avoid civilian casualties, the politician responded: “Murder is murder. No justification on either side. You’ve lost any sense of humanity & justice. You’re killing children.”

He has now removed the tweet. “I unreservedly apologise to Justin Cohen,” he said in a statement issued after the matter was referred to his party.