In the past, Labour has been quick to take a stand against bodies where racism, sexism, and homophobia were allowed to fester. Discrimination was discrimination, and institutions in which it routinely took place were culpable for it. But anti-Semitism now routinely takes place in the Labour party – and party members must acknowledge this. By its own definition, the Labour party is institutionally anti-Semitic.
No fair-minded person can read the failure to expel Ken Livingstone from the party any other way. After careful consideration of his latest calumny, Labour’s National Executive Committee has chosen merely to extend the former London mayor’s suspension for a further year.
The case for expelling him is overwhelming. He was originally suspended this time last year after coming to the defence of Labour MP Naz Shah. She had reposted a Facebook meme calling for the ‘transportation’ of Israelis to the United States so that the ‘Middle East will again be peaceful without foreign interference’. Sharing the post, Shah commented: ‘Problem solved and save u bank charges for £3 BILLION you transfer yearly!’ In an effort to excuse Shah’s anti-Semitism, Livingstone told a radio interviewer: ‘When Hitler won his election in 1932, his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.’
Across a three-day hearing, Livingstone has repeated his claims. In a decision announced on Tuesday evening, Labour found Livingstone in breach of Rule 2.1.8 of the party’s constitution, which proscribes ‘prejudicial’ or ‘grossly detrimental’ conduct by members. However, instead of kicking him out, Labour only lengthened his ban by 12 months. He remains a party member; the ban is solely on him standing for office.
This was far from Livingstone’s first offence. In 1984, as leader of the Greater London Council, he accused the Board of Deputies of British Jews of being ‘dominated by reactionaries and neo-fascists’. Twenty
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