11 July 2019|The Interregnum|Mohamed Elmaazi
Men and women from different backgrounds came to Labour Party HQ on 9 July to show their support for and solidarity with Chris Williamson MP who was suspended, from the Labour Party, then unsuspended following a three person disciplinary hearing, only to be re-suspended following outcry from the right-wing of the Parliamentary Labour Party. The demonstration was held while a decision was being made by the National Executive Committee as to whether they should accept the disciplinary panel’s decision or reject it and send the case to another panel re-consider the case.
Feature image via an activist
On 9 July 2019 the author attended to a demonstration outside of Labour Party HQ. An article detailing two of his interviews was first published in The Canary on the same date.
** UPDATE 20 July 2019 at 15:51, Marc Wadsworth is an active journalist, the narration in the video incorrectly describes Mr Wadsworth as a former journalist.
The following is a rush transcript of the above video:
[MOHAMED ELMAAZI] Up to 200 people gathered outside of Labour Party HQ in solidarity with Chris Williamson MP for Derby North Tuesday morning on the 9th of July. The pro-Corbyn progressive group, Jewish Voice For Labour, were among those at the demonstration calling for Williamson to be reinstated into the party, at a time when it was believed that the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party was determining whether they would uphold or reverse the decision by a three member disciplinary panel to reinstate the Socialist MP.
Williamson, who told me that he has been a member of Labour for over 40 years, was suspended by the Party’s high command after video surfaced of him telling a local Labour Party chapter that he felt frustrated with his Party’s failure to stand up against smears of antisemitism:
[CHRIS WILLIAMSON]
“the party that has done more to stand up to racism, is now being demonised as a racist bigoted party. And I’ve gotta say I think our parties response has been partly responsible for that. Because in my opinion [ …..]- we’ve backed up far too much, we’ve given too much ground, we’ve been too apologetic [Applause].
… And we’ve done more to address the scourge of antisemitism than any other political party, any other political party.”
[MOHAMED ELMAAZI] Although the rank and file have come out strongly in favour of Williamson, the Parliamentary Labour Party have largely either been silent or come out against him.
Members of Jewish Voice for Labour circulated an official statement to the press which called on the NEC to resist pressure from the Parliamentary Labour Party to expel Williamson. The statement based this call on three grounds, firstly, that Williamson never said that Labour had “apologised too much for antisemitism”, secondly, there is no evidence that Williamson set out to “gratuitously offend” anyone, let alone breach anti-racist laws, and thirdly, that political interference by the PLP should not be able to overturn the decision to reinstate Williamson, by a disciplinary panel which was empowered to adjudicate his case further to recommendations made by the Shami Chakrabarti Report on racism.
After the crowd thinned, I spoke to a number of people who remained passed 12pm.
Rebecca from Brighton was one of them:
[REBECCA]
“I’m here to support Chris Williamson. Because its an absolute outrage that he was ever suspended from the Labour Party. He did not say anything that should have caused a suspension. He said something that was perfectly reasonable. And perfectly blindingly obvious. So why, why would you do that? Is it more likely because hes a democrat and hes been campaigning for democracy in the Labour Party”
[MOHAMED ELMAAZI] Tony Greenstein, a long-time left-wing and Jewish anti-racist activist, was also there:
[TONY GREENSTEIN]
“So I was expelled last year – and the expulsions of course continued. One after another, anti-racists, black anti-racist, Jewish anti-racist. Jackie Walker, Marc Wadsworth – whose over there – and so on. So I’m here to protest against the re-suspension of Chris Williamson. Singling out an anti-racist MP by Tom Watson – who’s an open racist – I think is outrageous”
[MOHAMED ELMAAZI]
“And if there was something you could say face to face to Jeremy Corbyn or another member of the leadership what would that be?”
[TONY GREENSTEIN]
“I’d say get yourself a backbone, stand up, stop apologising, don’t accept this antisemitism nonsense. When they talk about antisemitism what they mean is criticism of Israel and apartheid. You shouldn’t buy into their lies.”
[MOHAMED ELMAAZI] Marc Wadsworth, a former journalist, and founder of Anti-racist Action independently echoed Greenstein’s comments:
[MARC WADSWORTH]
“I’m a supporter of Chris Williamson has been an amazing ally of mine… since before I was expelled, wrongly, by the Labour Party. He actually came to my hearing and gave evidence in my favour. Along with other Labour MPs – Keith Vaz and Clive Lewis.”
“I had an encounter with a right-wing Labour MP at the launch of the Chakrabarti report into Antisemitism and all forms of racism on June the 30th 2016 where I observed her working hand in hand with a Daily Telegraph reporter. And I called that out, and I was summarily expelled then and there that day. By Ian McNichol the General Secretary. At that time 172 right-wing Labour MPs had signed a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn, so it was in context of that.”
“If I could speak to the leadership of the Labour Party I would tell them to get a backbone. That they should stop appeasing, apologising, and capitulating to bullies. Because that’s what the gang in the Parliamentary Labour Party are. They
will never accept a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party, despite Jeremy being twice elected by the membership. The last time by 60%, which is the largest percentage for any leader in the Western world. And it’s appalling that they will not accept that democratic vote. And I say to them: if they don’t believe in Labour, they should leave. And if they won’t leave, they should be de-selected.”
[MOHAMED ELMAAZI] Sienna Rodgers, editor of Labour List, reported later in the afternoon that the NEC rejected the decision of a dispute panel to reinstate Williamson, and instead sent the case to be heard yet again, by yet another 3 member panel.
The campaign for Chris Williamson responded with a statement the following day, 10th of July, noting their ‘deep concern’ about the NEC decision to re-suspend Williamson as a result of what they say is due “solely as a result of political pressure”. They also quote film director Ken Loach who said:
“Williamson defended the party’s record against the ‘scourge of antisemtsm’ at no point did he say that those guilty of antisemitism should not apologise”
And Israeli historian Ilan Pappe who said:
“The charges against Chris Williamson are obviously unjust, poorly researched and politically motivated. Many of them come from people who want to confuse Jewish identity with support for Israel. He should be reinstated immediately, and the Labour Party needs to take a more mature approach towards accusations of antisemitism”.
One thing is clear,the battle between the reactionary elements within the Labour Party and their neoliberal and soft-left allies, against the left-wing, pro-Corbyn, and anti-racist elements, is indicative of a wider class struggle within British society as a whole. How these cases are dealt with may ultimately determine whether Labour is destined to remain a neoliberal party serving the interests of the UK’s higher classes, or whether it will break free and become something different, for the first time generations. For The Interregnum.net, this is Mohamed Elmaazi.
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Jewish Voice for Labour produced a suggested wording of an emergency motion to be put to members and supporters in Party and TU branches here.
Learn more via Labour Against the WitchHunt.
See also If You Can’t Defend Chris Williamson, You Can’t Defend Jeremy Corbyn, by Tony Greenstein