Corbyn apologizes for hosting event comparing Israel to Nazis

JTA

(JTA) — Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the British Labour Party, which is under fire for harboring anti-Semites among its members, apologized for hosting a 2010 event in Parliament on Holocaust Memorial Day where speakers compared Israel’s treatment of Gaza to the Nazis’ treatment of Jews.

The event, which was covered at the time by the London-based Jewish Chronicle, was reported on Tuesday by the major British daily newspaper The Times.

The talk in Parliament was titled “Never Again — for Anyone,” part of a UK tour called Never Again for Anyone — Auschwitz to Gaza.

The main speaker was Hajo Meyer, a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz who became a passionate anti-Zionist and repeatedly during the speech on “The Misuse of the Holocaust for Political Purposes,” made the comparison between the Nazi regime and Israeli policy.

“Views were expressed at the meeting which I do not accept or condone,” Corbyn said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

“In the past, in pursuit of justice for the Palestinian people and peace in Israel/Palestine, I have on occasion appeared on platforms with people whose views I completely reject. I apologize for the concerns and anxiety that this has caused,” the statement said.

Corbyn, a hard-left politician, has called Hezbollah and Hamas his “friends” and has for many months been fighting accusations of harboring anti-Semitic sentiments.

The Labour Party has come under intense scrutiny in the media over anti-Semitic rhetoric by party members. In 2016, an interparliamentary committee accused Labour of creating a “safe space for those with vile attitudes towards Jewish people.”

Corbyn has maintained that Labour will not tolerate racist rhetoric by its members. Dozens were kicked out over anti-Semitic statements. However, the party has kept on many Labour members whom Jewish community leaders said engaged in anti-Semitic hate speech