Sacked Momentum vice-chair to address anti-Israel event
Labour activist Jackie Walker to speak at Palestine Solidarity Campaign church event.
A controversial Labour activist suspended by the party over allegations of anti-Semitism is set to address an anti-Israel event on Saturday.
Community figures have criticised the decision to invite Jackie Walker to speak at a Palestine Solidarity Campaign event at Chapelfield Methodist Church in Norwich.
Board of Deputies of British Jews vice president Marie van der Zyl said: “It is against all logic that a church would be willing to tolerate an unapologetic serial offender under its roof. We call on the church to reconsider.”
It also criticised Norwich PSC as having “previously claimed that a ‘Jewish lobby’ is controlling the nation and funding political parties in the interests of Israel rather than Britain. It described the Holocaust Educational Trust as maintaining ‘a culture of gentile guilt and Jewish victimhood in British Schools.”
The Council for Christians and Jews (CCJ), said it was “deeply troubled” and “extremely disturbed” by the activist being asked to speak at the church.
CCJ finds “many of her comments to be inflammatory, divisive and offensive, particularly in regard to comparisons between the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the Holocaust. Her speaking will only further increase tension and divisions between communities.”
The interfaith group says it has “been in contact with all those involved and understand the difficult position in which the minister of the church in question has been placed”.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
