Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn released a statement Tuesday in an effort to clear up “any confusion” about the comments that prompted his suspension from the party.
Mr Corbyn was suspended and had the whip removed after writing in a Facebook post that antisemitism within the party had been “dramatically overstated” by his opponents and the media, a combination he said “hurt Jewish people”.
His suspension, which came in the wake of a watchdog’s damning report on antisemitism, was welcomed by former MP Luciana Berger but criticised by allies on the left.
In a Facebook post this week, Mr Corbyn shared the statement he said he gave to the party following his suspension.
“To be clear, concerns about antisemitism are neither ‘exaggerated’ nor ‘overstated’. The point I wished to make was that the vast majority of Labour Party members were and remain committed anti-racists deeply opposed to antisemitism."
He said he fully supported the decision of Sir Keir Starmer to accept the Equality and Human Rights Commission recommendations in full.
He also expressed regret over “the pain this issue has caused the Jewish community" and said he would wish "to do nothing that would exacerbate or prolong it.”
Mr Corbyn said in the Facebook post that he was "grateful to the many thousands of Labour party members, trade unionists, and supporters in Britain and around the world, who have offered their solidarity.
"I hope this matter is resolved as quickly as possible, so that the party can work together to root out antisemitism and unite to oppose and defeat this deeply damaging Conservative government," he added.
The Board of Deputies commented: “The Jewish community does not accept this pathetic non-apology from Jeremy Corbyn. Keir Starmer rightly called the day of the release of the EHRC report a ‘day of shame’.
“Jeremy Corbyn’s response, by contrast, was shameless.
“Keir Starmer said, ‘Those who deny there is a problem are part of the problem. Those who pretend it is exaggerated or factional are part of the problem’. Yet Jeremy Corbyn questioned the findings of the report which showed that, under his watch, the party had acted unlawfully in respect of its treatment of Jews.
“If the Party wants to show it is serious about tackling anti-Jewish racism, it will consign this statement, just like the culture which led to the EHRC’s damning findings, to the dustbin of history. To do otherwise would be a failure of leadership which would risk the party slipping backwards.”
