Almost five years ago I stood with my community in Parliament Square to demonstrate against the handling of antisemitism in the Labour Party. The demonstration was called by my predecessor as Jewish Leadership Council Chair, Jonathan Goldstein and the then Board of Deputies of British Jews President, Jonathan Arkush. The huge growth in anti-Jewish racism that we witnessed in the preceding three years of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership –as well as his personal record (see: initially back the artist behind an antisemitic mural, calling Hamas and Hezbollah his friends, and hosting an event likening Israelis to Nazis) – necessitated this watershed moment.
Jonathan Arkush told the rally that “The Labour Party must go back to being the enemy of racists – not the refuge.” Half a decade on and three years after the conclusion of Jeremy Corbyn’s disastrous leadership and legacy we find ourselves moving in the right direction. Yesterday’s announcement by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is a huge relief to the Jewish community and confirmation that we are on that road back to normality.
