News
Corbyn's former Jewish community liaison expelled from Labour
Heather Mendick was alleged to have undermined the party's ability to campaign against racism
December 23, 2022 15:15
Heather Mendick was alleged to have undermined the party's ability to campaign against racism
December 23, 2022 15:15Ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s former liaison officer to the Jewish community has been expelled from the party.
In a video posted on YouTube, Heather Mendick said she was “kind of relieved” by the verdict following a 15-month investigation and claimed she had been the victim of a Labour Party “witchhunt”.
She fumed: “The Labour Party is a cesspit. It’s been tiring to be a member in these circumstances, and I don’t have to do that anymore. In fact I can’t do that anymore.”
On 11 September 2021, Ms Mendick posted a letter on Twitter purportedly sent to her from the party setting out her disciplinary breaches.
It claimed the Hackney Palestine Solidarity Campaign activist had undermined the party’s ability to campaign against racism.
The letter listed 14 instances in which Ms Mendick was alleged to have engaged in conduct which "may reasonably be seen to involve antisemitic actions, stereotypes and sentiments”.
These included instances in which she had condemned the “weaponisation” of antisemitism against the left, attacked the “antisemitism smear machine” and insisted there was a “false narrative of antisemitism being rife in Labour”.
Also cited was a November 2018 tweet in which Ms Mendick said: “I'm Jewish. Chris Williamson is not antisemitic. In my view, your abuse of the term antisemitism makes the fight against it more difficult.”
Responding to the letter in October last year, Ms Mendick said: “These [statements] express widespread political opinions about the way that antisemitism is functioning both in the party and in wider society.
"There is clear evidence that Jewish members appear disproportionately among those being investigated, suspended and excluded for ‘antisemitism’. This is unsurprising as the Party is using its disciplinary processes to police what members can say about Jewish identity and about anti-Jewish racism.”
On 13 October 2021, Ms Mendick posted a further letter she said was from the Labour Party alleging additional rule breaches.
It claimed she had made "mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews", and had again undermined the party’s ability to campaign against racism.
Ms Mendick was appointed as Mr Corbyn’s liaison to the Jewish community in July 2019 amid increasing tensions over antisemitism within the party.
At the time, Jewish Leadership Council chair Jonathan Goldstein said it was "beyond parody" that she had been appointed to repair relationships.
"When we met with Jeremy Corbyn last year we made it perfectly clear what was needed to rebuild trust,” he said.
“He has proven that he is incapable of doing those things. This is a sinister move and we will not be engaging with Ms Mendick.”
A Labour Party spokesperson confirmed that Ms Mendick had been expelled from the party but declined to comment further.