Akehurst, member of ‘antisemitic’ FB group, agrees criticising membership of FB groups ‘unreasonable’

Last week, Momentum put out a post on Facebook warning about a Facebook group, The Labour Party Supporter, which it said includes ‘vicious antisemites’ among its moderators and recommending anyone who finds they have been added should leave:

Wise advice.

In recent months, as the smears against Labour and its leader have been ramped up, numerous attempts to tar Corbyn by association because of membership of ‘antisemitic Facebook groups’ have been made by his critics.

Which is what makes the ‘Labour Party Supporter’ group interesting – because its membership includes one Luke Akehurst, secretary of Labour First, arch-critic of the Labour leadership – and director of We Believe in Israel, a subsidiary of pro-Israel think-tank BICOM:

Note that Mr Akehurst ‘joined’ the group – rather than being added, as Corbyn was – seven years ago.

The SKWAWKBOX asked Mr Akehurst:

Would you agree it’s unreasonable to attack someone as antisemitic because they were in a group that might become associated with undesirable behaviour after they join, when its face-value purpose is innocuous?

Mr Akehurst, to his credit, was succinct in response:

Yes.

But the story is not quite over. The group – which Momentum points out is used by moderators to post antisemitic material – has at least one other interesting member. Euan Philipps of faux-Labour attack-group Labour against Antisemitism:

Mr Philipps has said that Jeremy Corbyn ‘has serious questions to answer’ about his membership of supposedly ‘antisemitic’ Facebook groups – yet here he is, a member of one with two allegedly ‘viciously antisemitic’ moderators who allegedly use the group as a vehicle for periodic, antisemitic material.

The SKWAWKBOX has been unable to reach Mr Philipps for comment.

Comment:

The antisemitism smears relating to membership of Facebook groups were always transparently desperate. But the escalation of them by Corbyn’s opponents has reached levels that make them appear mild and restrained by comparison.

The nonsense of the ‘smear by Facebook association’ claims is obvious – and even Luke Akehurst agrees.

But they expose even more the far greater nonsense being perpetrated now.

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