The latest anti-Semitism story to hit Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn has polarised debate. His critics want him to resign immediately, while supporters are rushing to his defence, denying the accusations and crying ‘fake news.’
Photographs, taken in 2014 and published by the Daily Mail on August 11, show Corbyn holding a wreath at a service in Tunisia close to the graves of the Black September terrorists, who were implicated in the Munich attacks, in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed in 1972.
The original story is headlined “Corbyn’s wreath at Munich terrorists’ graves,” goes on to accuse the Labour leader of attending a “tribute event for Palestine ‘martyrs’ including plotters behind 1972 slaughter of Israeli Olympic athletes.”
The Labour Party has rejected calls for an apology, reiterating that Corbyn’s statement that he was laying a wreath honoring the 47 victims of an Israeli attack on a Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) base outside of Tunis in 1985.
Responding to a follow up story, in which relatives of the Munich victims state that Corbyn should be “ashamed and apologize,” the party’s press team posted that the relatives were being “misled” by the story.
The Munich widows are being misled. Jeremy did not honour those responsible for the Munich killings.
He and other Parliamentarians went to the Palestinian cemetery in Tunisia to remember the victims of the 1985 Israeli bombing of the PLO headquarters, many of whom were civilians https://t.co/crRoKoFAYL
— Labour Press Team (@labourpress) August 12, 2018
Writing in the left-wing Morning Star after the visit to the Tunisian cemetery, Corbyn stated that wreaths were laid to mark the 1985 Israeli bombing, adding: “After wreaths were laid at the graves of those who died on that day and on the graves of others killed by Mossad agents in Paris in 1991.”
It is unclear who Corbyn was referring to as there are no known Israeli killings in Paris in that year. However, Mossad agents did reportedly kill the PLO’s liaison officer with foreign intelligence agencies, Atef Bseiso, a suspected Black September member in 1992 in the French capital.
The article’s perceived inaccuracies prompted certain Corbyn supporters to call on him to sue the Daily Mail and over what they insist is ‘inaccurate reporting.’
Excl: Mail’s ‘terrorist grave’ pics – ‘NO match to Corbyn wreath images’ | The SKWAWKBOX – https://t.co/Tm4x95E6Ge Daily Mail lies about Corbyn again – no surprise there.
— JewishVoiceForLabour (@JVoiceLabour) August 12, 2018
All weekend Blairites have been retweeting Daily Mail’s articles accusing Jeremy Corbyn of honouring terrorists
Due to huge backlash they’ve received, some are now calling for Corbyn to sue
He should sue Daily Mail – and every Blairite who has promoted its libellous articles pic.twitter.com/vvIJlexQUj
— Socialist Voice #JC9 (@SocialistVoice) August 12, 2018
Last year IPSO upheld 37 complaints against the Daily Mail / Sunday Mail (more than any other paper) for inaccurate reporting.
If you buy these papers, with this knowledge, you are condemning yourself to acceptance that propaganda is more important to you than facts.— Matt Thomas #JC9 (@Trickyjabs) August 13, 2018
Spectacular fake news by the Daily Mail. This is an outright lie. The truth is Jeremy was laying a wreath to commemorate the 47 Tunisians & Palestinians killed by Israel in an air attack on Tunisia in 1985. Nothing whatsoever to do with Munich Olympics. pic.twitter.com/AHfSDFmvrN
— Tory Fibs (@ToryFibs) August 11, 2018
In turn, right-wing Twitter condemnations of Corbyn were rife. Broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer mocked the Labour leader, and staunch Corbyn critic and Daily Mail journalist, Dan Hodges posted: “Dear Corbynites. It’s clear your hero honoured one, or a number of, the terrorists responsible for the Munich attack.”
Dear Corbynites. It’s clear your hero honoured one, or a number of, the terrorists responsible for the Munich attack. Could we please fast forward to the bit where you defend his actions, (tireless champion of peace, etc), rather than trying to avoid actual facts.
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) August 11, 2018
BREAKING: @jeremycorbyn makes statement on the 20th anniversary of the #Omagh bomb today, paying tribute to the many dead and injured, including the Real IRA bombers who may have snagged a nail while planting the explosives. pic.twitter.com/DDMt7ZGlpq
— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) August 12, 2018
This is shocking, even for Corbyn’s Labour. In his own Morning Star article the Labour leader confirmed precisely who he was honouring.
This isn’t about antisemitism. This is about basic decency, and Corbyn is on the other side https://t.co/1na6JIceoW— Stephen Pollard (@stephenpollard) August 13, 2018
The accusations led to Home Secretary Sajid Javid to demand Corbyn resign. “If this was the leader of any other major political party, he or she would be gone by now.” stated the Conservative.
While Jewish Leadership Council, Jonathan Goldstein, told the Jewish News: “This man is not fit to be a Member of Parliament, let alone a national leader.”
Another piece published by the Daily Mail on the same day attacked Corbyn for attending the wedding of a Palestinian ambassador who was accused of Holocaust denial in 2014, a claim he denies. Corbyn attended the wedding in 2010.
The Mail’s newest Corbyn smear has quite a big flaw. It reports that in 2014 the former Palestinian Ambassador made comments that he strongly denies were Holocaust denial. Despite this, Corbyn still went to his wedding… in 2010. Four. Years. Earlier. Corbyn isn’t Marty McFly. pic.twitter.com/kgHUpTqf61
— Alex Nunns (@alexnunns) August 11, 2018
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