Seventy serving and former Labour officials have given sworn statements as part of a Jewish Labour Movement dossier into the party's handling of antisemitism allegations.
The evidence submitted by JLM to the equality watchdog says Labour is suffering from the "corrosive disease" of institutional racism through "unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping."
In a 53-page dossier to the body's inquiry, which has been leaked in redacted form, JLM says a former staff member in Mr Corbyn's office claimed "senior members" of the leader's team dismissed calls for action against Ken Livingstone as a "Jewish conspiracy" and "political smear campaign".
The submission also notes that the membership secretary in the Tottenham Constituency Labour Party objected to membership applications by 25 strictly Orthodox Jews and asked for home visits to their houses.
JLM says: "This was not a requirement for other prospective members and appears to have been direct discrimination against Jewish applicants for membership."
In addition to the 70 statements sent by serving and ex-Labour officials JLM has been sent more than 100 testimonies from Jewish and non-Jewish party members about antisemitism that they say they have experienced or witnessed at party events.
JLM says in the submission, which will feed into the EHRC's formal probe into whether the party is antisemitic, there "can be little doubt that the party is now suffering from this corrosive disease," and invites "the Commission to say so.
“JLM hopes the commission will recognise the overwhelming evidence that antisemitic behaviour is rife within the party, and that the party is itself responsible for committing, permitting and encouraging antisemitic acts.
“The party’s structures, processes and employees have all contributed to an environment that is profoundly hostile to Jewish members and an organisation that is institutionally antisemitic.”
The dossier says that 136 complaints were outstanding in October, while around 100 allegations were not logged in the system at all.
Labour has not provided any official statistics on the issue since July but claim the Jewish Labour Movement's figures are inaccurate.
One part of the evidence JLM submitted includes a signed affidavit from a former Labour official who alleges they were asked to transfer details of complaints being investigated at Labour's headquarters to leader Jeremy Corbyn's office.
The Labour party has always insisted that Jeremy Corbyn and his team have not interfered in antisemitism complaints.
However a whistleblower says that they were ordered to deliver cases to the leader’s office on USB sticks for his staff to “review, draw up reports and make recommendations regarding further action”.
The whistleblower says that they were told to lie about what they were doing with the USB sticks and told to only discuss the sticks using their personal email rather than official Labour Party accounts.
The JLM document lays the blame for the problem at Mr Corbyn's door, saying the party has become "a welcoming refuge for antisemites" since he became leader in 2015.
"He has done that in a number of ways, including by publicly supporting antisemites and antisemitic tropes. The Labour Party is cast in his image," it says.
It adds the party has failed to "openly and adequately" recognise the problem and calls this a failure of "policy, example of leadership".
JLM sets out the definition of institutional racism to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and invites it to conclude it applies to Labour.
The widely-anticipated EHRC probe was announced in March but is now not expected to report until July next year.
Many have shared shocked reactions to the report.
Jewish Labour Movement’s submission to the ECHR on anti-Semitism in the Labour Party is utterly appalling. It’s a damning indictment of those Corbynites who insist that the party does not have a systemic problem.
— Sebastian Payne (@SebastianEPayne) December 5, 2019
Here are some of the key points:
The submission is a legal document, with evidence given by sworn statements by witnesses, examples are referenced in the annexes.
— Oz Katerji (@OzKaterji) December 5, 2019
I will tweet some excerpts in this thread. The submission is damning, though for someone who has been deeply involved in this issue, sadly. not surprising.
— Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) December 5, 2019
Focusses on the Labour Party becoming an unsafe space for Jewish people - not because of Israel. pic.twitter.com/R2F586PTtw
