Jeremy Corbyn is a figurehead for anti Semitism, Jewish leader says

Jeremy Corbyn is a figurehead for anti Semitism, Jewish leader says

Hundreds of protesters gathered on Parliament Square tonight to hear Jewish leaders warn Jeremy Corbyn 'enough was enough' amid an anti-Semitism storm.

Jonathan Goldstein, the Chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, told the huge crowd gathered opposite Parliament the Labour leader must do more to stamp out the 'cancer' of anti-Semitism inside his party.

Mr Corbyn tonight issued a grovelling apology for his actions and admitted the problem was bigger than 'just a few bad apples'. 

The Labour leader said he is 'sincerely sorry' for the pain caused by the abuse which has taken root in the party, in a letter to Jewish leaders. He repeated pleas to meet them in person.

Mr Corbyn admitted he was 'wrong' to defend an anti-Semitic mural on Facebook without looking at the image.

Anger has boiled over after it emerged Mr Corbyn defended a mural showing hook-nosed men sitting around a Monopoly board perched on the backs downtrodden people. 

Jewish groups and supporters staged a protest outside Parliament tonight to vent their fury at Mr Corbyn's failure to tackle anti-Semitism.

Mr Goldstein said there is 'no safe space' left for Jews inside Labour and wherever they go Jews are told 'Rothschilds run the world, ISIS is a fake front for Israel and Zionists are the new Nazis'.

He told the protest: 'We have just come from the Palace of Westminster, where we formally delivered our Open Letter to John Cryer MP, Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

We are all here today, because we have had enough of repeatedly witnessing and condemning instances of antisemitism in and around the Labour Party. We are here to tell Jeremy Corbyn that enough is enough.

'I am profoundly sad that it has come to this but also heartened to how much support we have seen over these last days and to see so many of you joining forces with us.

Antisemitism has never gone away. It festers like a cancer. It metastasises and refashions itself, over and over again.

'But antisemitism has no place whatsoever in a mainstream political party. It is a scourge on our society and it must be rooted out.'  

Londoner Grant Kemp was among those protesting about Jeremy Corbyn in Parliament Square.

He said: 'I’m here to support the cause of equality and to make sure people don't allow anti-Semitism to take root.

'It’s important to make a stand - especially to someone who could lead our country.

'Anti Semitism is not right.

'I used to be a labour member, I left after Jeremy Corbyn became leader. I’m more interested in seeing cation than Jeremy Corbyn just apologising.

'The fact such a lot of people are here does speak volumes.' 

In a letter issued late this afternoon, Mr Corbyn said: 'I recognise that antisemitism has surfaced within the Labour Party, and has too often been dismissed as simply a matter of a few bad apples. 

'This has caused pain and hurt to Jewish members of our Party and to the wider Jewish community in Britain. 

'I am sincerely sorry for the pain which has been caused, and pledge to redouble my efforts to bring this anxiety to an end.'  

He apologised for defending the east London mural which triggered the latest controversy.

He said: 'The idea of Jewish bankers and capitalists exploiting the workers of the world is an old antisemitic conspiracy theory. 

'This was long ago, and rightly, described as 'the socialism of fools.' I am sorry for not having studied the content of the mural more closely before wrongly questioning its removal in 2012.'

He added: 'But I acknowledge that anti-Semitic attitudes have surfaced more often in our ranks in recent years, and that the party has been too slow in processing some of the cases that have emerged...

'In that spirit, I must make it clear that I will never be anything other than a militant opponent of antisemitism. In this fight, I am your ally and always will be.' 

But speaking this morning, Mr Goldstein said the 'time for words is over, and the time for action is now'.  

President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews Jonathan Arkush told Good Morning Britain: '[Jeremy Corbyn]'s fostered a culture in which people feel free to come out with rank anti-Semitism… the political sea, or perhaps I should call it a sewer, in which he swims, is totally polluted by anti-Semitism.'

Mr Goldstein told the BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: 'Jeremy Corbyn is now the figurehead for an anti-Semitic political culture, based upon obsessive hatred of Israel, conspiracy theories and fake news. 

'And that is doing great harm, not just to the Labour Party, but to Britain in a wider sense.' 

He said the Labour leader has willfully refused to confront the anti-Semitism spouted out by his own supporters - failing to permanently deal with his long-time ally Ken Livingtsone who said Hitler supported Zionism.'

But Mr G