Saturday, November 4, 2023

Diane Abbott Suspended by Labour Party Following Racism Letter

Date:

Diane Abbott, the Labour MP, has been suspended from the party pending an investigation into a letter she wrote about racism to the Observer. In the letter, she wrote that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people “undoubtedly experience prejudice”, which she said is “similar to racism”. She also stated that “many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice”, but they are not subject to racism “all their lives”. This prompted a backlash, including from the Board of Deputies of British Jews, who described it as “disgraceful” and her apology “entirely unconvincing”.

Labour has now suspended the whip from Ms Abbott, meaning she will not be allowed to represent the party in the House of Commons and will now sit as an independent MP. The BBC has approached Ms Abbott for comment.

In her apology, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington said “errors” arose in an initial draft that was sent. She continued: “But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused. Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others.”

The Jewish Labour Movement – an organisation of Labour-supporting Jewish members – said it “regretfully” supported the party’s decision. Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge, who is Jewish, called the letter “deeply offensive and deeply distressing”. She backed the suspension of the whip, tweeting: “No excuses. No delays. The comments will be investigated and she has been immediately suspended.”

The Jewish Voice for Labour group, which has consistently supported Jeremy Corbyn, said Ms Abbott’s letter should have been “drafted with more care”, but added it was “no ground for suspension from the Labour Party”. They added that Ms Abbott’s suspension “is yet a further attack on our freedom to debate very important issues in the Labour party”.

Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called the comments “simply unacceptable” during St George’s day celebrations at Trafalgar Square in London. He said: “There is no place in our society, let alone the Labour Party, for anybody with these comments – Labour Party, Keir Starmer has done the right thing by suspending Diane Abbott. It’s really important that everyone understands that there is no hierarchy when it comes to racism. Racism is racism – whether it’s against Jewish people, travellers or anybody else”.

Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader, promised tough action to “root out” antisemitism when he became leader in 2020. In response to Diane Abbott’s letter, he has now suspended her from the party pending an investigation. A Labour Party spokesman said: “The Labour Party completely condemns these comments, which are deeply offensive and wrong. The chief whip has suspended the Labour whip from Diane Abbott pending an investigation.” The party declined to comment on when an investigation would begin, or who would lead it.

Friends, Families and Travellers welcomed the Labour Party’s swift response and called on all parties and government to review their anti-racism strategies. They said: “Diane Abbott’s letter accurately demonstrates the constant erasure of Irish Traveller, Romany Gypsy and Roma people’s daily experiences of racism and discrimination. The letter is utterly inexcusable, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation into a letter she wrote about racism to the Observer. The politician had written that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people “undoubtedly experience prejudice”, which she said is “similar to racism”. She also stated that many types of white people with points of difference can experience this prejudice but are not subject to racism “all their lives”. Her comments prompted a backlash from the Board of Deputies of British Jews and other organisations.

In response to her remarks, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has suspended the whip from Ms Abbott, meaning she will not be allowed to represent the party in the House of Commons and will now sit as an independent MP. The BBC has approached Ms Abbott for comment.

Ms Abbott later tweeted to say she was withdrawing her remarks and apologised “for any anguish caused”. In her apology, she said: “But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused. Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others.”

The Jewish Labour Movement – an organisation of Labour-supporting Jewish members – said it “regretfully” supported the party’s decision. Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge, who is Jewish, called the letter “deeply offensive and deeply distressing”. She backed the suspension of the whip, tweeting: “No excuses. No delays. The comments will be investigated and she has been immediately suspended.”

The Jewish Voice for Labour group said Ms Abbott’s letter should have been “drafted with more care”, but added it was “no ground for suspension from the Labour Party”. They added that Ms Abbott’s suspension “is yet a further attack on our freedom to debate very important issues in the Labour party”.

Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called the comments “simply unacceptable” during St George’s day celebrations at Trafalgar Square in London. He said: “There is no place in our society, let alone the Labour Party, for anybody with these comments – Labour Party, Keir Starmer has done the right thing by suspending Diane Abbott. It’s really important that everyone understands that there is no hierarchy when it comes to racism. Racism is racism – whether it’s against Jewish people, travellers or anybody else”.

Friends, Families and Travellers welcomed the Labour Party’s swift response and called on all parties and government to review their anti-racism strategies. A spokesperson said: “Diane Abbott’s letter accurately demonstrates the constant erasure of Irish Traveller, Romany Gypsy and Roma people’s daily experiences of racism and discrimination. The letter is utterly inexcusable, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

A Labour Party spokesman said: “The Labour Party completely condemns these comments, which are deeply offensive and wrong. The chief whip has suspended the Labour whip from Diane Abbott pending an investigation.” The party declined to comment on when an investigation would begin or who would lead it. It took years before the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said in February that it was now satisfied with Labour’s action on antisemitism under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

Latest stories