News
Expelled anti-Zionist Moshe Machover readmitted to Labour Party
Articles by the Tel Aviv-born anti-Zionist for Weekly Worker newspaper deemed not prove he was a member of the Communist Party Of Great Britain
October 31, 2017 17:12
Articles by the Tel Aviv-born anti-Zionist for Weekly Worker newspaper deemed not prove he was a member of the Communist Party Of Great Britain
October 31, 2017 17:12Moshe Machover, the veteran Tel Aviv-born anti-Zionist has had his expulsion from the Labour Party rescinded.
Labour’s national executive disputes committee ruled on Monday against Mr Machover’s automatic expulsion from the party after he successfully argued that he was not a member of the Communist Party Of Great Britain despite writing a series of articles for its newspaper, the Weekly Worker.
Following the decision to allow the 81 year-old activist back into the party a letter circulated on social media, written from the office of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn by his advisor Laura Murray, stating:"I am glad that he is now a Labour Party member again."
Anger over Mr Machover’s Weekly Worker contributions erupted after an article headlined “Anti-Zionism does not equal antisemitism” was widely distributed at last month’s Labour Party conference in Brighton by a group called Labour Party Marxists (LPM).
It had initially been suggested that the retired University of London lecturer had been expelled from Labour over claims his article was antisemitic. The piece included a quote from Reinhard Heydrich, one of Hitler’s most notorious lieutenants, made in 1935 which suggested the early Nazi government agreed with Zionist ideals.
The JC has learned that Labour’s NEC meeting did not discuss whether or not the article was antisemitic, but addressed the issue of his exclusion for membership of a rival political party, which is strictly forbidden under Labour rules.
A source added: “It is important to understand that the NEC has looked at the technical issue of Moshe Machover’s expulsion and ruled it was wrong.
“But this has no impact whatsoever on a series of other high-profile cases of alleged antisemitism with the party.
“These have gone way beyond the stage of the NEC disputes committee and are being heard by the national constitutional committee, the highest disciplinary body in the party.”
Three forthcoming NCC hearings will involve Jackie Walker, Marc Wadsworth and Tony Greenstein – all of whom face charges of antisemitism.
Mr Machover’s expulsion had become a major rallying call for left-wing anti-Zionist groups such as Jewish Voice for Labour which claimed the so-called Blairite wing of the party was waging a witch-hunt against them.
A letter published in the Guardian earlier this month, signed by 139 Labour Party members, including Ken Loach, Brian Eno and Sir Geoffrey Bindman, stated that the “charge of antisemitism against Machover is personally offensive and politically dangerous”.
In a letter first sent to Mr Machover by Labour’s Head of Disputes, it was stated that the article he wrote “appears to meet the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism”.
But in the same letter it was suggested that Mr Machover, who was a member of Hampstead and Kilburn constituency Labour Party, was in contravention of party rules due to his involvement in “both LPM and the Communist Party of Great Britain”.
