Bristol West MP ‘heckled by Labour members’

Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire says she was heckled by members of her own party while trying to explain why she attended an anti-Semitism demonstration.

The ‘#EnoughIsEnough’ rally in Westminster held at the end of March called for Labour to do more to confront anti-Semitism.

A number of MPs from various political parties attended the demonstration, including Debbonaire.

But some within her party saw the rally as an attack on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his alleged failure to do more to rid the party of anti-Jewish sentiment.

As a result, the Bristol West MP was called to attend a meeting of the Bristol West Constituency Labour Party (CLP) on Thursday night to explain her actions after a motion was put forward by the Ashley branch of the Bristol West CLP criticising her for joining the demonstration.

During the meeting the motion was only noted, not debated.

But when Debbonaire was given time to speak at the end of the meeting, she said she was heckled by some members of the audience and chose to leave.

Corbyn has backed her decision to attend the rally

Speaking after the meeting she said: “I was finally given a chance to present my MPs report and answer questions about it at the very end of the meeting.

“Unfortunately, my attempt to explain my attendance at the rally was shouted down and no attempt was made to stop this. I therefore left the meeting as it was unproductive.

“I have no problem being held to account – but this must be in an environment where I can give my response.

“I will continue to stand up to anti-Semitism, prejudice and inequality in all its forms.”

Another motion presented at the meeting asked members to agree the claims of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party and by Corbyn are unfounded and untrue, and part of a plot against the leader and Labour.

However this was defeated by 108 voted to 84.

The motion said “when people see inequality, ecological disaster and war alongside the accumulation of unprecedented wealth, in the private hands of a few, it is reasonable that they seek out explanations”.

It added “portions of the media and politicians hostile to the Labour party have weaponised recent allegations into unfair criticisms of the Labour party and Jeremy Corbyn”.

Finally it called on the Bristol West Labour branch to affiliate and donate £150 to Jewish Voice for Labour, an organisation which claims the anti-Semitism row was being used to attack Mr Corbyn. Ms Debbonaire said she was pleased to see members vote to reject the proposal.

She added: “It was unfit for purpose, as it failed to take responsibility for the problem.

“Moreover, it did not demonstrate a zero-tolerance approach to all examples of anti-Semitism, something which Jeremy Corbyn, Jennie Formby (the new General Secretary of the Labour Party) and many others at the top of the Labour Party rightly say is long overdue.”

Kate Wilson is a local democracy reporter for Bristol.

Read more: ‘Bristol West MP is right to stand up to anti-Semitism and racism’