Labour election candidate defended ‘Jewish final solution’ slur
EXCLUSIVE: Laura McAlpine, the party’s Harlow candidate, claimed 'context somewhat excuses remarks’
A Labour election candidate defended her chief campaigner after he wrote about a ‘Jewish final solution’, Jewish News can reveal.
Laura McAlpine, who is aiming to unseat Conservative Robert Halfon in Harlow in December’s election, supported top aide Brett Hawksbee in emails to colleagues, seen by Jewish News, despite one party official warning Hawksbee had “breached IHRA (the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism) in almost every single way possible”.
Hawksbee blogged in September 2018: “The fear of many on the left is that the ideological successors of the bombers of the King David Hotel, the mass murderers who decimated Deir Yassin, would be quite happy to see a pogrom in Gaza and the West Bank, a Jewish final solution to the Palestine problem.”
McAlpine resisted calls from party officials to publicly condemn the remarks. One email circulated to Labour staffers reads: “She (McAlpine) isn’t happy with the first line (of the apology) because she doesn’t want to be disloyal to someone who ‘organises so much for her and who she is on the phone with three times a day’.”
The email continues: “She also echoed his view that the context somewhat excuses the remarks. I made it clear that her loyalty is now to the reputation of the Labour Party but not sure what impact that made.”
According to local newspaper Your Harlow and the local Conservative group, McAlpine did not make a public statement over Hawksbee, but a statement condemning him was prepared by the party, to be released “in case of future comms enquiries”.
McAlpine told Jewish News: “I did not and would not defend Brett Hawksbee’s remarks in this blog. Brett’s comparison between Israel and the Nazis was unacceptable and last year he made a full apology for making such a comparison.”
She added: “I support all efforts to root antisemitism out of our party and to educate our members about antisemitism. This is a further example of why we all need to educate ourselves and listen to our Jewish brothers and sisters about antisemitism and the ways in which this ancient hatred is continuing to reinvent itself, so we can identify it and call it out.
“These age-old tropes surface in criticisms of Israel and we must educate ourselves so that we can ensure the movement supporting justice for Palestinians and the Labour movement are free from antisemitism and ensure that Jewish members of our movement feel safe and welcome.”
The Jewish Labour Movement said: “It’s unacceptable that Laura McAlpine stood by Brett Hawksbee despite his antisemitic comments because of his usefulness to her shows how little she cares about fighting racism.”
McAlpine’s Conservative rival Halfon said: “It’s incredibly sad that the virus of antisemitism in the Labour Party has reached our town of Harlow which is a kind, decent and tolerant place and has a strong and proud Jewish community and synagogue. It’s hard to believe that the Labour Party is being investigated for institutional antisemitism by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. But given what has allegedly happened with the Harlow Labour Party and candidate, I think people will understand why this is the case.”
Hawksbee, who since apologised, was pictured this week seated in the front row of a meeting in Harlow, alongside party leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer.
The activist has been a vocal supporter of Chris Williamson, who resigned from the party this week after being banned from standing in the election.
The Labour Party and Harlow Constituency Labour Party have been approached for comment.
(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
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.
