A Labour party member suspended in the party’s toxic anti-Semitism inquiry has complained of her treatment and compared herself to victims of the Salem Witch Trials.
Marlene Ellis, a member of the pro-Jeremy Corbyn Momentum group, was kicked out of the party after claiming that former London mayor Ken Livingstone was a victim of a Zionist conspiracy.
Livingstone himself was suspended after hijacking the news cycle with quixotic and discredited claims that Hitler was a Zionist – dragging claims that Labour was embracing anti-Semitism into the mainstream.
Ellis’s treatment was compared with that of women accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, convicted in show trials and then hanged.
The comments were made in an open letter, signed by Labour allies, to the party’s general secretary, which Ellis promoted on her Facebook page.
They said: “It is worrying that comments that do not please a section of the population are deemed anti-Semitic, whether or not statements are made in the course of rational or factual discussion, and there seems to be undue haste to suspend.
“Some members of the Party appear to have exploited a somewhat hysterical atmosphere which has been allowed to develop. This is reminiscent of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, rather than of calm, rational consideration. African tradition teaches us to value the lessons of the past in the spirit of Sankofa, so that we do not repeat mistakes.”
Earlier in the letter, the 49 signatories also compared the anti-Semitism suspensions, mainly made after social media posts resurfaced making jokes about kicking Jews out of Israel, to anti-Communist attitudes in the time of US Senator Joe McCarthy.
It said: “It appears allegations of anti-Semitism are being used to stifle the sharing of information on some of the uncomfortable events that took place during the Shoah, the Maangamizi (African Holocaust) and free speech.
“Allegations are also being made to silence criticisms of Israel, hamper the work of Momentum activists, and undermine Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
“We are uncomfortable with the parallel between the suspensions and what took place during the McCarthy era in the United States.”
Maangamizi is a catch-all term for African slavery during the colonial era, which the letter appears to equate with the Nazi slaughter of some 6 million Jews.
Ellis’s suspension, along with Livingstone’s and those of other Labour members, will be revisited when the party’s report, being written by former charity boss Shami Chakrabarti, is released.
The simmering anti-Semitism row has sharpened divisions within Labour, culminating in a vicious red-on-red attack a select committee hearing last week.
Moderate Labour MP Chuka Umunna called Livingstone a “pin-up for prejudice” as his target continued to blame the scandal on a right-wing conspiracy.
Chakrabarti’s report is due at the end of this month.
A Labour spokesman said the party cannot comment on an on-going investigation.