Campaigners against antisemitism have attacked reaction to a Sunday newspaper story which suggested Jewish donors were abandoning Labour over Ed Miliband’s stance on the Gaza conflict.
The Independent on Sunday’s front page story carried the headline “Jewish donors drop ‘toxic’ Miliband” and claimed communal support for the party had ebbed away.
The newspaper did not directly quote any party sources providing evidence that the desertion by Jewish supporters had led to financial problems for the party.
But it did quote one unnamed long-term Jewish donor who said they did not want to see Mr Miliband as Prime Minister, or Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander in the Foreign Office.
Another ex-donor, also unnamed, claimed attempts to arrange a fundraising dinner for Jewish Labour supporters had failed. The source was quoted as saying “prominent members of the community, who are quite wealthy” now found Mr Miliband “too toxic”.
The party has been under fire in recent months following criticism of Israel from Mr Miliband and Mr Alexander during the Gaza conflict, and the party’s support for Palestinian statehood in a Commons vote last month.
Actress Maureen Lipman said earlier this month that she would not vote Labour at the election in May.
The Independent on Sunday piece led to widespread coverage elsewhere in the media.
A BBC News review of the discussed the article and referring to a “Jewish lobby”. Presenter Tim Willcox went on to claim, unprompted, that prominent British Jews would not want to pay the so-called mansion tax.
Gideon Falter, chairman of the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The idea that a wealthy Jewish lobby uses money to manipulate political policy is a centuries-old antisemitic trope.
“The BBC’s unchallenged promotion of this slur is a shocking example of what many Jews feel is institutional antisemitism by the broadcaster.
“Many people have contacted us to express their outrage. The BBC claimed that the ‘Jewish lobby’ is thwarting a ‘principled’ foreign policy position, but there is no factual basis for this accusation.
“Also, with no evidence at all, the BBC claimed that wealthy Jews are challenging taxation proposals to hang onto their mansions.”
The BBC has not commented on Mr Willcox’s remarks, which appeared on the BBC News channel at around 11.30pm on Saturday.
