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Canary editor Mendoza suspended from Twitter after 'white supremacist' JLM post
Kerry-Anne Mendoza made claim in response to Labour leader's appearance on JLM one-day conference
November 30, 2020 12:12
Kerry-Anne Mendoza made claim in response to Labour leader's appearance on JLM one-day conference
November 30, 2020 12:12The editor of The Canary website has been suspended from Twitter following complaints about a post in which she compared those attending the Jewish Labour Movement’s conference to “white supremacists.”
Kerry-Anne Mendoza had sent the post on Sunday in response to the decision by Sir Keir Starmer and other senior figures from the party to speak at virtual conference.
In an attempt to portray Jewish Labour supporters as being equivalent to those who cropped up South Africa’s apartheid regime, she wrote: “Imagine if during a day of international solidarity with the oppressed of Apartheid South Africa the Labour leadership opted instead to spend the day with white supremacists. That’s what Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner are doing today.”
She ended her tweet with the hashtags Free Palestine and Palestine Day.
Ms Mendoza’s tweet followed a campaign on social media by pro-Palestine activists, including the Labour MP Zarah Sultana, to highlight the fact that the UN’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people was marked on Sunday November 29.
But an official UN press release confirmed that this year “the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People will be observed on December 1”.
The JC understands that amongst those to complain about Ms Mendoza’s post was the government’s antisemitism adviser Lord Mann.
Last Monday Kensington Labour Party cancelled a scheduled speaking engagement for Ms Mendoza after an advertisement for her appearance at an meeting sparked widespread anger.
In past she has defended former MP Chris Williamson and other Labour figures accused of antisemitism and after Mr Corbyn’s defeat at the polls suggested that those who opposed Labour over antisemitism would be attacked.
The editor-in-chief of the Canary accused JC columnist Jonathan Freedland of “manufacturing” the general election result.
In January 2020 she claimed celebrations over the completion of Brexit could turn into a “21st century Kristallnacht" while in August she wrote, "Get Brexit done Build, build, build, Jobs, jobs, jobs Arbeit macht frei."
In December 2019, Lord Mann announced he would be “instigating an investigation this January into the role of the Canary and other websites in the growth of antisemitism in the United Kingdom.”
When the JC raised concerns about Ms Mendoza’s appearance at a Labour Party meeting she tweeted: “Black woman can’t talk about racism, says white man.”
On Monday, Ms Menodoza's Twitter feed reappeared.
In a statement she said:"I’d like to thank everyone who protested loudly enough for us to be noticed.
"I don’t expect these people to stop. They want to bully and intimidate people to stop us communicating a simple moral truth: Israel is an apartheid state. The Palestinians deserve our solidarity. They’re the ones facing occupation and brutalisation every day. We can’t be silent about that."
A Twitter spokesperson said:"The account referenced was mistakenly suspended and has now been reinstated."
