Jewish Labour Movement to sue Labour Party over anti-semitism code

From The Sunday Times (UK), 22 July 2018, by Tim Shipman, Political Editor:

As campaigners challenge the party’s new anti-semitism test, the MP Margaret Hodge has confronted the ‘racist’ Jeremy Corbyn

Campaigners put together a dossier of abuse against Margaret Hodge in Corbyn-supporting Facebook groups

VICKIE FLORES

Jewish campaigners are preparing to sue the Labour Party using human rights laws after Jeremy Corbyn’s party ditched key elements of the internationally accepted definition of anti-semitism from Labour’s code of conduct.

The Labour leader’s team is facing two legal challenges amid mutiny in the party after bosses forced through the new code last week in the face of bitter opposition from Jewish leaders — prompting the veteran Labour MP Margaret Hodge to confront Corbyn and tell him he was a “f****** anti-semite and a racist”.

The Sunday Times can reveal that the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) has submitted a complaint to Labour in the form of a dossier of abuse levelled against Hodge in Corbyn-supporting Facebook groups, which they claim would be permitted under Labour’s definition of anti-semitism.

Separately JLM’s executive will meet tomorrow to discuss mounting a legal case against the party under the European Convention on Human Rights. They will also consider whether to take Labour to court using the Equality Act, arguing that by ignoring the wishes of Jewish groups Labour is violating the “Macpherson principle” that racist acts are those perceived to be racist by the victims.

The Sunday Times has been passed a dossier of abusive tweets made by members of three Facebook groups: We Support Jeremy Corbyn; Supporting Jeremy Corbyn & John McDonnell; and Jeremy Corbyn — True Socialism. Between them the groups have 115,000 members.