CULC condemns ‘rising anti-semitism’ in Labour Party amid Corbyn allegations

The student Labour club says it stands in solidarity with its Jewish members

Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of defending an allegedly anti-semitic mural posted in a Facebook group

by Isobel Bickersteth

This article is 8 years old

Monday March 26 2018, 8:14pm

Cambridge Universities Labour Club (CULC) has condemned “the rising anti-Semitism” within the Labour Party and criticised Labour’s response as “not good enough”.

In a statement released on social media, CULC expressed disappointment at the “insensitive and inadequate response at all levels of party organisation” in regard to the recent accusations of anti-Semitism within the Party.

The student political organisation called for the Labour Party to adopt “credible processes” to deal with the issue of anti-semitism. In particular, they stressed the need for “increased sensitivity to anti-Semitic tropes and rhetoric” and “a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Semitism within the Party”.

CULC's statement on anti-Semitism in @UKLabour. pic.twitter.com/2P2FunOEgt
- CULC (@CULC) March 26, 2018

CULC’s statement follows recent criticism of the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, after Facebook posts appeared to show him questioning the removal of an allegedly anti-semitic mural.

Today, in a letter to the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, Corbyn said he “recognise[d] that antisemitism has surfaced within the Labour party”. He also apologised for the “pain which has been caused”.

CULC ‘saddened’ by Oxford anti-Semitism accusations

CULC has previously expressed concerns at anti-semitism within the Labour Party. In 2016, they expressed concern over allegations of anti-semitism within the Oxford University Labour Club (OULC), calling for OULC to “stamp [anti-semitism] out”.

Responding to a comment left on their Facebook, CULC added that they “do not welcome the narrative that efforts to counter anti-Semitism are driven by an attempt to discredit the left”.

CULC concluded by urging Jeremy Corbyn to “address the concerns of the Jewish community and ensure our Labour values are upheld”. The club pledged to “stand in solidarity with our Jewish members”, promising to “make every effort to make them feel safe and supported in our Club and Party”.

The Cambridge University Conservative Association (CUCA) has echoed CULC’s statement, saying that it hopes the Labour Party “will shed itself of this malignancy and return to being a respectable national alternative”.

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