Labour MP sorry for liking Facebook comment claiming Israel disgraces Jews
EXCLUSIVE: Emma Dent Coad liked the post, which read: 'and as a Jew, the current Israeli apartheid regime disgraces all of us Jews worldwide'
Labour’s MP for Kensington has apologised for liking a Facebook comment claiming Israel “disgraces all of us Jews worldwide.”
Emma Dent Coad, who was elected in 2017, ‘unliked’ the comment within hours of Jewish News reaching out for comment.
A spokesperson for the MP said: “Emma liked this in error and apologises.”
A comment posted by online user Earl Okin on Monday evening read: “I’ve always been a Bevanite – my ultimate political hero….and as a Jew, the current Israeli apartheid regime disgraces all of us Jews worldwide.”
It was reported to Jewish News by the anti-racism Twitter account GnasherJew.
The post was a response to another post by online user Bob Pandy critical of “Blairite” MPs and “members of the Netanyahu fan club”.
It stated: “One should always be in the position of perpetual equiry, [sic] or self questioning.
“It appears that any who question the actions of BLAIRITE nominated MP’S [sic] and members of the NETANYAHU FAN CLUB are ‘Hard Left’ (according to Tom Watson, and Margaret Hodge)
“I am , most certainly, OF the Left, with an admiration of, (among others) Aneurin Bevan, whose seminal work ‘In Place of Fear’ still inspires,” it continued.
This comes after it was reported Labour Party members in Liverpool are to hold a vote of no-confidence in Dame Louise Ellman on the evening of Yom Kippur.
Ellman MP, who became the chair of Labour Friends of Israel in August, has been a prominent critic of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of the antisemitism crisis.
Fiona Sharpe, spokesman for anti-racism group Labour Against Antisemitism, said: “Emma Dent Coad MP, in ‘liking’ this comment, appears to be endorsing the idea that British Jews bear responsibility for the actions of the Israeli government.
“That the comment is below a post that describes Margaret Hodge as being part of a “NETANYAHU FAN CLUB” opposed to the “Hard Left ” is also highly concerning.
“The IHRA definition of antisemitism, as adopted by the Labour Party, is quite clear that ‘Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel’is an antisemitic act.
Labour have been reached for comment.
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