Here are the endorsements by major British media outlets for tomorrow’s general election, and what they wrote about antisemitism in their editorials.
Endorsement: Labour
On antisemitism:
[Corbyn’s] obdurate handling of the antisemitism crisis has disrupted the message of hope. Anything less than zero tolerance against racism tarnishes Labour’s credentials as an anti-racist organisation. The pain and hurt within the Jewish community, and the damage to Labour, are undeniable and shaming. Yet Labour remains indispensable to progressive politics.
Endorsement: Labour
On antisemitism: (Nothing)
Endorsement: Anyone but Johnson.
On antisemitism:
But of most concern to a great many voters, Mr Corbyn’s failure to deal rigorously and honestly with prejudice in his party against Jewish people has been a moral disaster.
The Observer (sister publication of the Guardian):
Endorsement: Anyone but Johnson
On antisemitism:
Labour’s gravest failing lies in the way Corbyn has handled the antisemitism crisis in his own party. Over three years, evidence has mounted of the institutional antisemitism, as defined by the Macpherson inquiry, that afflicts the party from the top down. The Jewish Labour Movement’s leaked submission to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) includes sworn statements from more than 70 former staff members and details a series of horrifying allegations, including interference in the disciplinary process by Corbyn’s office. Corbyn himself has questioned the removal of an antisemitic mural and Jewish MPs have been bullied out of the party. During this campaign, Corbyn has made assertions about Labour’s processes that leaked documents appear to contradict. Corbyn has displayed a staggering lack of contrition or empathy.
Endorsement: Conservatives
On antisemitism:
[Labour] has transformed itself under Mr Corbyn into the nasty party, a title once held against the Tories. Its failure to deal with rank antisemitism in its ranks is shocking and it has mobilised some of the most vicious elements on social media.
Endorsement: Conservatives
On antisemitism:
Which brings us to the question that it is hard to believe must even be asked: should our country have an anti-Semitic prime minister?
The Chief Rabbi has warned that Labour has left many British Jews “gripped by anxiety”, and the submission of the Jewish Labour Movement to an inquiry into Labour’s anti-Semitism – detailing countless examples of abuse – concludes that Mr Corbyn has “made the party a welcoming refuge for anti-Semites”. A vote for Labour, even for an anti-Corbyn MP, would put an institutionally racist party in power.
Endorsement: Conservatives
On antisemitism:
When the Chief Rabbi last week took the extraordinary step of urging voters to reject Corbyn’s government, it will have posed a dilemma to those on the left disgusted by the antisemitism left to fester in his Labour Party
Endorsement: Conservatives
On antisemitism:
Trust in Britain would vanish the instant a known terrorist sympathiser and infamous anti-Semite became PM.
Endorsement: Conservatives
On antisemitism: (Nothing)
Endorsement: None.
On antisemitism:
Mr Corbyn’s failure to stamp out the vile strain of anti-Semitism infecting his party is inexcusable.
Endorsement: None
On antisemitsim:
[Corbyn’s] reluctance to apologise for the anti-Semitism in Labour and to take a stance on Brexit, the biggest issue facing the country, make him unfit to be prime minister.
In response to anti-Semitism, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, a body established by the last Labour government, has launched a formal investigation of a political party for only the second time in its history (the first being the fascist British National Party). The chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, and the Jewish Chronicle have issued unprecedented warnings about Mr Corbyn to the electorate. The Jewish Labour Movement, for the first time in its history, has refused to endorse the party and will only campaign for “exceptional candidates”.
We have no reason to quarrel with their judgement. As Anthony Julius, a senior lawyer and academic, wrote to the historian Richard Evans in an open letter on the New Statesman: “A party that cannot be trusted in relation to Jews cannot be trusted at all.” (Professor Evans subsequently retracted his support for Labour.)
Endorsement: Liberal Democrats
On antisemitism:
Nor has Mr Corbyn dealt with the anti-Semitism that has taken root in Labour on his watch.
