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| − | {{Group
| + | #REDIRECT[[Labour Against The Witchhunt]] |
| − | |image=Cropped-LAW-logo-with-rose.jpg
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| − | |image_width=240px
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| − | |abbreviation=LAW
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| − | |start=October 2017
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| − | |titular_logo=1
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| − | |interests=Jeremy Corbyn, Labour party
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| − | }}
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| − | '''Labour Against the Witchhunt''' ('''LAW''') was founded in October 2017 to oppose the purge of pro-[[Jeremy Corbyn|Corbyn]] supporters in the [[Labour Party]].
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| − | On 4 March 2019, [[LAW]] unreservedly condemned the suspension from the [[Labour Party]] of [[Jewish]] councillor for Bromborough [[Jo Bird]]. At a [[Marc Wadsworth|Justice4Marc]] meeting last year in Manchester (in solidarity with [[Marc Wadsworth]]) she made a light-hearted comment, stating:
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| − | :“[[Jewish Voice for Labour]] is calling for disciplinary hearings to be paused until a due process has been established, based on principles of natural justice. What I call [[Jew]] process”.
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| − | Clearly, the context of that quote shows that her joke was not [[anti-Semitic]] at all – but the exact opposite.<ref>''[[Document:We condemn the suspension of Jo Bird and the appointment of Lord Falconer]]''</ref>
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| − | ==Three main aims==
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| − | [[LAW]] has three main aims:
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| − | 1. The Labour Party must end the practice of automatic, instant, expulsion or suspension of Labour Party members:
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| − | :All those summarily expelled or suspended without due process should be immediately reinstated.
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| − | :An accused member should be given all the evidence submitted against them and be regarded as innocent until proven guilty. Legal representation costs to be paid by the party.
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| − | :Disciplinary procedures should be carried out in accordance with the principles of natural justice, and be time-limited: charges not resolved within three months should be automatically dropped.
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| − | :The first part of rule 2.1.4.B (‘Exclusions’) should be abolished: it bars from Labour Party membership anybody who “joins and/or supports a political organisation other than an official Labour group or other unit of the party” and has exclusively been used against left-wingers.
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| − | 2. The Labour Party should reject the [[International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance]] (IHRA) definition of [[anti-Semitism]], which in its list of examples conflates anti-Semitism with anti-[[Zionism]] and support for the rights of the [[Palestinian]] people. Instead, the Labour Party should adopt a simple, straightforward, definition of anti-Semitism, such as by Professor [[Brian Klug]]:
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| − | :“Anti-Semitism is a form of hostility to [[Jews]] as [[Jews]], where [[Jews]] are perceived as something other than what they are”.
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| − | 3. The Compliance Unit should be replaced with a new body which will deal with complaints along the lines of the recommendations in the [[Shami Chakrabarti#Chakrabarti report|Chakrabarti Report]], allowing all members appropriate due process.<ref>''[http://www.labouragainstthewitchhunt.org/about/ "Labour Against the Witchhunt"]''</ref>
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| − | ==Solidarity with Chris Williamson MP==
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| − | The suspension of [[Chris Williamson]] MP on 27 February 2019 is an absolute disgrace. We stand in full solidarity with Chris, who must be cleared as soon as possible by Labour’s “investigation” – though judging by how [[Jackie Walker]], [[Marc Wadsworth]], [[Tony Greenstein]], [[Ken Livingstone]] and many, many more [[Jeremy Corbyn|Corbyn]] supporters have been thrown under the bus, we have very little confidence that he will receive a fair one.
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| − | He is the latest victim of the witch-hunt by the right in the party whose main target is, of course, [[Jeremy Corbyn]] himself.
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| − | [[Jeremy Corbyn]] recently said:
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| − | :“[[Chris Williamson]] is a very good, very effective Labour MP. He’s a very strong anti-[[racist]] campaigner. He is not [[anti-Semitic]].”
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| − | Corbyn was right. He should finally stand up and tell people like [[Jon Lansman]] and [[John McDonnell]] to stop joining in the witch-hunt – but support the thousands of left-wingers who have been investigated, suspended and expelled, many of them on false accusations of [[anti-Semitism]].
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| − | This campaign to equate anti-[[Zionism]] with [[anti-Semitism]] will only get worse, the closer we get to a general election. Trying to appease the right clearly does not work. If you fight, you might loose – but if you don’t fight, you have already lost.<ref>''[http://www.labouragainstthewitchhunt.org/our-positions/solidarity-with-chris-williamson-mp/ "Solidarity with Chris Williamson MP"]''</ref>
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| − | ==Support Chris Williamson==
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| − | Five things you can do:
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| − | 1. Use our draft motion in your [[Labour Party]] branch/CLP. Send it to [[Jennie Formby]] and to [[LAW]].
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| − | 2. Sign our petition demanding Chris’ reinstatement – and share it far and wide.<ref>''[https://www.change.org/p/jennie-formby-reinstate-chris-williamson-mp "Reinstate Chris Williamson MP!"]''</ref> [[Tony Greenstein]] has also produced a petition.
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| − | 3. Put on a showing of the ''[[WitchHunt]]'' documentary with [[Jackie Walker]] in your locality to better understand the background to this decision.
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| − | 4. Email [[Jennie Formby]] to protest against this decision.
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| − | 5. Join our 26 March 2019 protest party at the expulsion hearing of Jackie Walker (details to be confirmed, ''[[Facebook]]'' event here). Should [[Chris Williamson|Chris]] still be suspended, we will of course use the opportunity to demand his reinstatement.<ref>''[http://www.labouragainstthewitchhunt.org/campaigns/solidarity-with-chris-williamson-five-things-you-can-do/ "Support Chris Williamson - Five things you can do"]''</ref>
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| − | {{SMWDocs}}
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| − | ==References==
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| − | <references/>
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