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www.jewishnews.co.uk
Jewish News 8 July 2021
News / Labour victory / Protest arrests / Westminster support
Jewish activists help Labour scrape through in acrimonious by-election by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk @lmharpin
Labour triumphed in the crucial Batley and Spen by-election last week – after an exhaustive campaign backed by dozens of Jewish activists persuaded locals to vote for the party’s candidate. Kim Leadbeater held on to the West Yorkshire seat for Sir Keir Starmer’s party by just 323 votes in an often bitter contest that was widely predicted to be won by the Tory
candidate Ryan Stephenson, who came second. The campaign in West Yorkshire was marred by acrimony, personal abuse and allegations of dirty tricks, largely from supporters of the notorious antiZionist George Galloway, who
Kim Leadbeater
secured more than 8,000 votes. Bookmakers had the Conservative candidate as short as 1/7 on to win the seat last Thursday morning but, like many, they underestimated the impact of an impressive on-the-ground campaign by Labour activists in support of Leadbeater. Jewish News can reveal that a team of more than 20 Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) members were in Batley and Spen last Sunday as part of a campaign to shore up the vote for Starmer’s party. Activists from JLM’s Manchester and Yorkshire and Humberside branches also joined the wider Labour team in the area, along with national organiser Rebecca Filer, Miriam Mirwitch and Redbridge councillor Judith Garfield. In the days running up to the by-election, Leeds MP Alex Sobel, former Stoke MP Ruth Smeeth and Brent Council Labour member Neil Nerva
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Ex-MP Ruth Smeeth, left, with Jewish Labour activists in Batley and Spen
were among those to continue with the “get out the vote” campaign. JLM’s national chair Mike Katz praised what he said had been an “astounding” effort by Jewish, Muslim and Labour members of no faith to secure victory for Leadbeater, who is the sister of murdered
ex-local MP Jo Cox. Katz added he was “proud Jewish Labour were part of the tremendous Labour effort to win this seat”. He said: “You can’t sit by when a hatemonger like Galloway sows division and exploits communities to salve his ego.”
Anti-Israel demo arrests Police have arrested three women who took part in an eight-hour rooftop demonstration in Birmingham against a company they alleged to be involved in the “facilitation of Israel’s arms production”, writes Lee Harpin. Anti-Israel activists from the Palestine Action group stormed a building used by Vine Property Management at 6am on Monday. They claimed Vine Property Management, which trades under the Fisher German banner, had been occupied because it is “responsible for the operations, maintenance and oversight of the factory of Elbit subsidiary UAV Engines in Shenstone, Staffordshire, used for the manufacture of the engines used in Elbit’s Hermes and Watch keeper drones”. Palestine Action is behind a long-running campaign to target companies in the UK members claim are linked to Elbit – an Israeli defence and technology firm. But it a statement Fisher German said: “We have supported police in resolving the
protest, which has not only damaged our building but has also caused alarm and distress to our colleagues. “We would like to clarify that Fisher German does not work for the company the protest was in relation to.” During Monday’s action, red paint was sprayed on the front of the building, a red flare was set off and gates to the site chained shut. In a statement, Palestine Action said it had launched its action against the “property manager of Israel’s drone engine factory”. The anti-Israel activists have staged a series of actions across the UK at companies they accuse of being complicit in the manufacture of Israeli weapons. After the rooftop protest began, they released a statement saying “three women have stormed the site” and “the premises have been sprayed with blood red paint”. Police officers later removed the women after they were seen using ropes and a ladder.
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Jewish Londoners have the full backing of Westminster City Council in the fight against the “insidious rise” of antisemitism, its leader said. Speaking at a special meeting called by the London Jewish Forum (LJF) to discuss the spike in antisemitic incidents in recent weeks, Councillor Rachael Robathan branded as “repugnant” social media footage showing a car
convoy driving through north London while broadcasting threatening remarks. The Westminster City Council leader told an online meeting organised by the LJF: “Jewish people have been part of Westminster’s story for centuries. Yet once again we see the insidious rise of antisemitism manifesting itself in everything from actual assaults to toxic social media...
“Westminster is made up of people from many traditions, and our Jewish friends and neighbours are an integral part of that. “We stand by them and will not tolerate those who use politics as a cover to whip up crude antisemitism.” LJF director Daniel Kosky said: “We are grateful to have the support of Westminster City Council.”