A year after US president Donald Trump was roundly condemned for leaving Jews out of his Holocaust statement, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn does the same thing.
January 26, 2018 11:22
This week saw all the main political party leaders releasing statements to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
All three were general in tone, in acknowledgement of the fact that while the Nazis’ campaign of mass murder centred on European Jews, many other minorities, including gypsies, homosexuals and communists were also killed and buried in mass graves.
Neither the Prime Minister nor the Lib Dems' Vince Cable made specific mention of Jews in their HMD statements.
However opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn’s was singled out for excoriation on social media after it became apparent that the veteran left-winger had failed to mention Jews or antisemitism in his message.
Here are the statements from Corbyn for the last three Holocaust Memorial Days (2016, 2017, 2018). pic.twitter.com/MeVDOh5q7i
— A common lawyer (@acommonlawyer) January 25, 2018
In a climate where the Labour party is perceived to have a growing problem with antisemitism within its ranks, this own goal stirred up a furious response on Twitter and Facebook.
Journalist Hugo Rifkind was one of the highest-profile social media users to point out Mr Corbyn’s oversight, but the fury ran far deeper and wider than just a few individuals.
A source close to Mr Corbyn told the JC: "Jeremy's message in the memorial book in Parliament clearly refers to the millions of Jewish victims of the Holocaust and their descendants."
I'm well aware that this will render my Twitter unusable for the rest of the week at least, but here goes, anyway. When Trump made a statement on Holocaust Memorial Day which didn't mention Jews, there was quite a fuss. Remember? https://t.co/cUl1sgGatc
— Hugo Rifkind (@hugorifkind) January 25, 2018
.@JeremyCorbyn must apologise for failing to mention Jews or antisemitism in his Holocaust memorial statementhttps://t.co/KpwMymenXI
— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) January 25, 2018
Just seen that Corbyn, like Trump a year ago, has failed to mention Jews in his HMD message.
— Robin Moss (@robinmoss86) January 25, 2018
This shouldn’t be hard.
The Holocaust was a particularist Jewish genocidal tragedy AND a universalist outrage against human values.
Both are true. The one does not negate the other
Jeremy Corbyn has had a successful few days... he’s been pushing for Labour MPs to vote against accepting the anti-semitic Hezbollah as a terror organisation and failed to mention Jews in his Holocaust remembrance comments.
— Lewis Barber (@LewisBarber94) January 25, 2018
On Jeremy Corbyn's Facebook page Jews are accused of "monopolizing the Holocaust" - as if it were an exciting dinner party guest.
— Tanya Gold (@TanyaGold1) January 25, 2018
Jeremy Corbyn recalls the Holocaust while refusing to acknowledge its principal victims were Jews.
— (((David Bennun))) (@DavidBennun) January 25, 2018
Reminds me of Soviet-era memorials to massacred Jews I saw in Lithuania, commemorating the deaths of many thousands of "Soviet citizens".
This is dog-whistle stuff. & it's nasty.
Guess whose Holocaust Memorial Day statement doesn't mention Jews today. No, not Trump's. Leftist UK Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn's:https://t.co/i1vECDaLuX pic.twitter.com/1lWa1GdmOM
— (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) January 25, 2018
Note to Corbyn: it’s usually a good idea when talking about the Holocaust to note that most of the victims were Jewish. But it’s especially important to do so if you’re widely suspected of being soft on antisemitism.
— Nelson Jones (@Heresy_Corner) January 25, 2018
If you don't see the problem with this statement, you may be part of the problem. pic.twitter.com/pxHwu33P19
— welfare mothers make better lovers (@portraitinflesh) January 25, 2018
Jeremy Corbyn's failure to mention Jews in his Holocaust Memorial Day message is deeply offensive and speaks volumes about his attitude to the Jewish community.
— Danny Cohen (@DannyCohen) January 25, 2018
Yes, Corbyn did just 'all lives matter' the holocaust https://t.co/b08WrcLjA8
— plastic fantastic (@omgstater) January 25, 2018
| UPDATE |
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| After the publication of this story, further information emerged which points to Mr Corbyn having been rather unfairly judged by the Twitter community |
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