Corbyn and Smith clash on anti-Semitism in TV debate
The Labour leader denied the party was overrun by anti-Semitism, whilst Owen Smith claimed Corbyn wasn't committed to tackling the issue
Jeremy Corbyn and Labour leadership rival Owen Smith went head to head on Thursday night in a live TV debate, clashing on the issue of anti-Semitism.
The rivals clashed over the party’s record on tackling discrimination against Jews and abuse within Labour.
Mr Corbyn ordered a review, carried out by Shami Chakrabarti, into racism earlier this year.
But the report by the former Liberty director, who has since been given a peerage by the Labour leader, was criticised by Jewish leaders and MPs after it found the Labour Party ”is not overrun by anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or other forms of racism”.
Mr Smith said he was “not sure” the leader was “entirely committed” to tackling anti-Semitism in the party.
He claimed that many hard-left activists who had been “alongside” Mr Corbyn had anti-Zionist views that he had not been “strong enough” in speaking out against and distancing himself from.
“I have spent my life opposing racism in any form,” Mr Corbyn said as he claimed the attacks were “unfair”.
Mr Smith claimed “hard-left” activists were “flooding” in to the party to support Mr Corbyn.
“I think some of the people around Jeremy are absolutely encouraging it, of that there is no doubt,” he said.
Audience members booed and jeered in the fractious opening minutes of BBC One’s Question Time hustings.
The Labour leader has no support from his MPs and his challenger has no support from the party, they were told.
WATCH:
Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith on a BBC Question Time Labour leadership special and the question of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party was always going to come up and boy, did it!….Posted by Sussex Friends Of Israel on Thursday, 8 September 2016
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