Labour activist Marc Wadsworth has been a controversial figure since Jewish MP Ruth Smeeth walked out of the launch of the Chakrabarti Report in 2016 and alleged that he had – quote marks hers – accused her of a “media conspiracy”, which is a well-known antisemitic trope.
As it’s important for the context in which around forty parliamentary figures walked with Ms Smeeth to Mr Wadsworth’s disciplinary hearing this morning, here is the full, subtitled video of his words to her at the launch:
Not every word can be made out because of the foreground shouts, but the words “media conspiracy” do not seem, from what can be heard on the recording, to have been among those spoken by Mr Wadsworth. Ms Smeeth’s post appears to have since been deleted – and Telegraph journalist Kate McCann does not appear to have denied that she handed a document to Ms Smeeth.
Readers will decide for themselves whether Mr Wadsworth’s intervention contained any antisemitism, but it is surely correct that any accusation of it against him should be accompanied by the video of what he actually said.
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So we have 40 white Labour MPs who are vociferous apartheid apologists, showing solidarity with a person who is trying to lynch a black man.
Anyone who defends apartheid is a disgusting racist. There is no place in the Labour Party for these apartheid supporting MPs.
Anyone who defends apartheid is a disgusting racist.
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I just can’t help but read that with a john mann accent. 🙂
The witch hunt against Labour Party members who support the Palestinians must end now. The preposterous idea that the odious John Arkush should dictate Labour Party policy on antisemitism must be stamped on, publicly and finally. Corbyn has allowed this farce to go on for too long. You cannot appease these people, no matter how many concessions you make, their end aim is not justice but our destruction.
Ceredig
Bang on! The trouble with people with an entitled attitude is that not only does it tend to make them unpopular, but it gives them the idea that, for example, although they represent a tiny minority in this country, they can call the shots with the Leader of the Opposition cos their stooge MPs and their mates in the media can give him a hard time if he doesn’t.
Frankly, the sooner they fuck off out of the party to their Conservative home, the better.
It is now enough to even think such things, as there may actually be a conspiracy, to have the pack turn on one.
Just in case anyone is not aware of the fact:
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/uk-labour-mp-ruth-smeeth-was-funded-israel-lobby
Before Act 3 started in the very first one I told a packed Momentum meeting that we needed to use wisdom and the Right were looking for the slightest excuse so we needed to be disciplined.
Whilst Marc in my view has done nothing wrong and should be immediately reinstated I don’t think it was wise to refer the MP, he should have stuck to defending JC and his point about the lack of Black and Asian people in the room was a powerful enough point in itself.
The same thing with Jacqeline Walker, after a perhaps close shave with the NCC she should have kept away from the JLM session, and when she voluntarily walked into the room they must have thought that this was their lucky day!
In a 40 year association with Labour I have known 2 anti-semetic incidents but I first came across it as a white working class kid of about 14 when were at a 5-a-side tournament in a tough working class area. Some of the local white working class lads were mocking the young lads from the Jewish team and I confronted them all mentioning the holocaust and they instantly stopped; in my niave young way I think I made them think.
In the late 1970’s when The National Front were becoming a threat, I was in a Northern Constituency Labour rooms and a group of ‘Young Jews Against Fascism’ (who were invited) turned up on a Sunday morning (the agreement was they would put their leaflet out with a Labour leaflet and we would put our leaflet out with theirs) and I made them welcome and offered coffee & tea (although some of the group made it clear they were Anti-Labour) but the older Labour members in the office (one a Labour city councillor) were really cold and unfriendly to them and this made me feel really uncomfortable.
Then a few years ago a brother-in law (who joined because of Corbyn but can be politically all over the place) came out with the old conspiracy theory of Jewish bankers ruling the World and I confronted him saying that’s what the Nazi’s used to say and I don’t care if the rich and powerful have 2 heads and are green, I am against them because of what they do, and equally I don’t care if working people have 2 heads and are green, they have to sell their labour to live and are on our side and I am for them and I remember my progressive sister laughing at his stupidity!
But although many on the Left suspect what perhaps is really going on, we are charged with anti-semetism, and this is what we HAVE to address whilst continuing to support all BME groups and LGBT and Disabled citizens.
I conclude with a poem:
OH VERITAS SHINE THY BRIGHTEST BEAM.
AND VANQUISH EVIL STORIES.
TO SMITE THINE GREAT INVISIBLE FOE.
THEN COME YE FOR THE TORIES.
Having listened several times to the recording now and when it was first release I can hear NO words that as far as I am concerned make what was said in any way anti-Semitic.It is plain and simple action by Smeeth and now all those who support her in turning what Marc said into a RACIALIST witch hunt and they should ALL be expelled or at the very least be facing a disciplinary hearing by the NEC
Having seen the non-incident on the television, I have to say that I cannot understand why he is being investigated at all.
If Smeeth did not like what he said, then she could have argued with him.
If you listen carefully you can hear the man sitting next to Smeeth saying anti-semitism. Did he put the thought into her mind. Her initial response was to Mark’s remark of being hand in hand with the Telegraph and not any anti-semitic remark.
Yes. Correct. Digging around online I identified that man as Kevin Schofield, former Sun journalist, now editor of PoliticsHome. And I found that there is a version of this video with crystal clear audio. It’s on the original Independent report, but mysteriously obscured everywhere else on the net. (you can form your own opinion on why that would be). In that video you can clearly hear his Scottish baritone gleefully saying “antisemitism, at the launch of an antisemitism report!”. Clear as a bell. He created the story there and then. She was all too willing to take the stage, and jumped at his words. As she walks out Schofield next addresses Kate McCann (the Telegraph jounalist behind Smeeth) who then follows her out. (kind of like they’re er… working hand in hand…) And the press was happy to run with a Corbyn bashing story. The “cream” of our MSM was there, intimate with this evidence, cameras rolling, sound recorders on and eyes wide open. Pienaar of the BBC actually sitting between them. Yet this has been allowed to go on for 2 years, and Wadsworth basically faced a lynching yesterday. Is now perhaps an appropriate time to talk about how black people are treated in our society?
That saying of, “If you can’t stand the heat stay out of the Kitchen”! Springs to mind.
If they don’t like what the public minority are saying, then stay clear of public life.
Another “Sticks and stones, may break my bones, but words can never hurt me”!
If anyone puts themselves up as a public figure, make sure you have very thick skin, because not everyone will like you, there will always be a minority who hate you!
“THAT’S LIFE”!
“GET OVER YOURSELVES”.
Get behind your LEADER, “JEREMY CORBYN” and stop bellyaching about what life is throwing at you!
Hilary, it’s probably not the way you meant it but it’s not THE Jewish contingent it is a ZIONIST contingent and SOME of them are Jews.
The ZIONISTS don’t want to just cause ‘mischief’ they want to cause destruction of a Corbyn lead Labour Party to protect the interests of the apartheid State of Israel – that’s what it’s all about.
There are many Jews in the Labour Party who fully support Jeremy Corbyn.
If you refer to Jews as a group when being critical, that’s when the Zionists will, with some justification, fling the anti-Semitic insult at you. There is more than one voice in the Jewish community and many of them do not subscribe to Zionism and see it as a threat to Judaism – we should support them.
Thanks for the clarification Jack T, I just genuinely wanted to know what it all meant. I won’t be posting about it again, so I don’t get into trouble. I still don’t understand how it all works though. To be honest I’m more concerned with getting Jeremy Corbyn into number 10, which hopefully is sooner rather than later. Thanks again for taking the time to explain.
Yes Hilary, I agree it can be confusing but hopefully more and more people are beginning to see what’s behind the tactics and smears of the ‘wreckers’ in the Party.
Could I recommend ‘The General’s Son’ a book by Miko Peled, a Jewish Israeli writer, ex member of the Israeli forces and a strong supporter of Jeremy Corbyn.You can also catch his videos on YouTube.
I have recently become aware of this case and feel sickened at the way this man has been treated. He is not antisemitic and what he said was not antisemitic. He was just stating what he had seen happen in front of him between an MP and a journalist. That’s facts. The “working hand in hand” comment – well, people accuse anti corbyn MPs, like Jess Phillips of the same thing for example (that Murdoch party btw?!) And John Woodcock, briefing his media mates with negative Labour gossip etc. Many more. Marc didn’t even know Ruth was Jewish. That had nothing to do with it. (He didn’t even know she was an MP at first: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/justiceforantiracismcampaigner/) Just like with the other MPs it’s not about their race or religion, it’s about them being anti-Corbyn, from the Right of the party, Progress, Blarite. This is absolutely ridiculous and I feel so sorry for him. He is a lifelong campaigner against racism and antisemitism. Notable people signed a letter in support of him to be reinstated, in the Guardian. “Labour must reinstate anti racist activist Marc Wadsworth”. Including Gary Younge and Peter Tatchell.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/31/labour-must-reinstate-anti-racist-activist-marc-wadsworth
In the video sitting behind Ruth it is the journalist Kevin Schofield ex The Scum, now Politics Home, mate of John Woodcock MP who accused Marc of antisemitism. It is so unfair and in bad faith. I wonder if Marc wrote a letter of explanation and apology to Ruth, as this is clearly a misunderstanding.
So, now I have read that this “working hand in hand” comment which is what people seem to have issue with was said by the journalist Kate McCann originally and Marc was parroting her language. Can anyone confirm this solidly? There is nothing wrong with him saying this phrase anyway as I have said. It’s not about her being Jewish , He didn’t know. He didn’t even know she was an MP at first. He didn’t know her name as he asked her for it. She obviously must know this. So how can she accuse him, when she knows he didn’t even know who she was.
Perhaps not knowing who she was was his real offence?
Kevin Schofield was the joint author of this story from 2016:
https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/labour-party/news/76611/exclusive-150-labour-mps-face-defeat-snap-general
At the time, I was deeply sceptical about this as it did not say who conducted the research and on whose behalf.
I very much doubted whether it existed at all. That did not, of course, stop it from being referred to by anti-Corbyn MPs and the media.
Can we get a list of the 40 or so MPs who stood with the Zionists , so that we can all be aware who they are , and campaign for their deselection . They are not interested or genuine in their stance on anti-Semitism but only have one cause , that is the destruction of anyone who dares to criticise the Israeli Govt .
Meanwhile Brexit marches on , NHS continues to be under attack and the majority of our people who desperately need a Labour Govt under Corbyn continue to suffer . I don’t hear much about that from those MPS like Smeeth , Ryan, Woodcock , etc etc .
And now Keir Starmer decides to wade in and attack McCluskey. How can a man of supposed intelligence, a QC no less, not understand what is going on here. We are being manipulated into attacking each other by a cynical right wing enemy. You can crawl on your hands and knees over broken glass, begging forgiveness all the way, and wash their boots with your tears and dry them with your tongue, and they will still not be satisfied Starmer, they will still demand more.
For anybody who is getting truly, truly depressed at this whole sick business, can I recommend following Jewdaz on facebook as an amusing antidote.
Sorry, that should of course be Jewdas.