Diane Abbott suspended by Labour after letter suggesting Jews do not face racism
Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott has had the whip suspended pending an investigation into a letter she wrote about racism, the party has confirmed.
The move came just moments after the MP issued a public apology for suggesting Jewish, Irish and Traveller people do not face racism.
Published on Sunday the letter said: "They undoubtedly experience prejudice. This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable".
Following a backlash the ex-Shadow Home Secretary said the letter - published in The Observer newspaper - had been an "initial draft" and that there was "no excuse".
But a Labour Party spokesman condemned the remarks as "deeply offensive and wrong".
Home Secretary blasted for interior design joke over Rwanda migrant homes
“The Chief Whip has suspended the Labour whip from Diane Abbott pending an investigation, " they added.
Diane Abbott claimed Jewish, Irish and traveller peoples experienced ‘prejudice’ similar to ‘redheads’ (Getty)Ms Abbott - the Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987 - was originally responding to an article by writer Tomiwa Owolade which carried the headline: 'Racism in Britain is not a black and white issue. It's far more complicated'.
The MP added: "It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism.
"In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus.
"In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships."
But on Sunday Ms Abbott issued an apology, saying: “I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself from them.
"The errors arose in an initial draft being sent. But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused.
"Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others.
“Once again, I would like to apologise publicly for the remarks and any distress caused as a result of them.”
Was Labour right to suspend the whip from Diane Abbott? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
Suella Braverman 'resorting to photo ops to push unworkable Rwanda plan'
Jon Lansman - a key left-wing figure who helped set up the Momentum campaign group under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership - supported the suspension of Ms Abbott.
On social media he described the letter from the Labour MP as "disgraceful", adding she has "rightly been suspended from the Labour Party".
"Racism is not a competition!"
Labour Against Antisemitism said Ms Abbott's comments were "simply unacceptable" and had called on Keir Starmer to remove the whip from her.
Spokeswoman Fiona Sharpe said: "To reduce the racism faced by Jews to mere prejudice when in living memory six million Jews were systematically slaughtered in Europe for their race is grossly offensive.
"In the UK today one in five of all Jews have suffered a racist attack, with more than one in three Gypsy, Roma and Traveller reporting the same.
"Ms Abbott is either woefully misinformed or deliberately bigoted. Neither should be tolerated."
Jewish Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge said Ms Abbott's letter in The Observer was "deeply offensive" and commended the party's move to swiftly suspend her.
"Keir Starmer's response is right. No excuses. No delays. The comments will be investigated and she has been immediately suspended," she tweeted.
Former Labour adviser under ex-PM Tony Blair, John McTernan, highlighted that Ms Abbott has been at the receiving end of vile racism throughout her career.
He said on social media: "Swift and appropriate apology from Diane Abbott.
"She has been subjected to vile racist abuse throughout her career, and her apology should be accepted in the spirit it is offered".
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
