A Labour Party meeting in Jeremy Corbyn’s north London constituency descended into chaos last night after one of his supporters blamed the Israeli ambassador for their leader’s woes and others then shouted down a woman who expressed support for his leadership rival Owen Smith.
The meeting of the Islington North Constituency Labour Party was held to decide which candidate the local party would back – Corbyn or Smith.
Unsurprisingly, members voted overwhelmingly for Corbyn, who has represented the seat in parliament since 1983.
Incredible: 370 people voted in Islington North CLP meeting tonight. Full result:
Corbyn: 266
Smith: 100
Abstain: 4
Total votes: 370— Koos Couvée (@KoosCouvee) August 10, 2016
But the meeting took a dark turn after one pro-Corbyn speaker said during the meeting: “It’s very difficult to get elected in this country without the support of the Israeli ambassador.”
Steve Akehurst, who was there, confirmed this remark was made. And according to another attendee who asked not be named for fear of triggering an anti-semitic backlash, it was interpreted by many as a piece of casual racism.
One source present said the chairman of the meeting, Lindsey Thomas, did not denounce the statement but merely advised the speaker to be more careful with their choice of words, sparking a debate about whether the comment was anti-semitic.
When Heat Street spoke to Lindsey Thomas today he claimed not to remember anybody raising the issue of the Israeli ambassador, but noted that such a thing “may have been said.” He added that he interjected to ensure speakers were careful with their words.
Meeting now dissolving into an open argument about whether randomly blaming Jews for things is anti-Semitic. Happy days
— Steve Akehurst (@SteveAkehurst) August 10, 2016
That wasn’t the only controversy on a lively night which provided fresh insights into anti-semitism within Labour’s grassroots and Corbyn’s own constituency party.
At the end of the meeting a woman stood up and said she would be backing Owen Smith because of what she perceived as the virulent anti-semitism engulfing Labour, pointing to the speaker who made the remark about the Israeli ambassador as an example.
Instead of respecting her view, Corbyn supporters apparently shouted her down.
Her identity remains unclear, with some suggesting she is Jewish:
@AnaOpp @wesstreeting Poor woman shouted down 4 objecting to antisemitism & idea @owensmith2016 backers in league with Israeli Ambassador
— Stephen Molyneaux (@Middletonfox) August 10, 2016
A Labour Party supporter later said on social media: “It was an awful meeting though and I hate voting the same way as people who defend antisemites and shout over women.”
