Momentum has called for the whip to be restored

Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott had the whip removed from her over the weekend after a letter she wrote was published in the Observer. The letter implied that Jews, Irish people and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people do not experience racism.

Abbott’s letter read: “They undoubtedly experience prejudice. This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable.

“It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism.”

Following the letter’s publication online, Abbott swiftly apologised. In her apology, she said: “I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociated myself from them.

“The errors arose in an initial draft being sent. But there is no excuse and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused.

“Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others.”

She then had the Labour whip suspended, with a party spokesperson saying: “The Labour party completely condemns these comments which are deeply offensive and wrong.

“The chief whip has suspended the Labour whip from Diane Abbott pending an investigation.”

Her comments, apology and suspension have attracted significant discussion within the Labour Party and in the wider left.

Momentum – a left wing faction within the Labour Party – called for the whip to be restored to Abbott. The group tweeted: “Diane was right to apologise for her comments this morning. The Party should now accept the apology and restore the whip.”

That view wasn’t shared by Momentum’s co-founder Jon Lansman. He said it was right for Abbott to be suspended, tweeting: “A disgraceful comment by @HackneyAbbott for which she has rightly been suspended from the Labour Party. Racism is not a competition!”

Jewish Labour Movement – a socialist society formally affiliated to the Labour Party – said: “Regretfully, we support the party’s decision to withdraw the whip while Diane Abbott is under investigation for her offensive letter to The Observer.

“Diane Abbott is one of the most respected people in the Labour Party as an activist who overcame racism and prejudice to become Britain’s first Black woman MP. We should be unified in our struggle against racism, not divided against one another.”

However, other groups of Jewish Labour members took a different view. Jewish Voice for Labour – a group associated with some parts of the Labour left – said: “The suspension of Diane Abbott is yet a further attack on our freedom to debate very important issues in the Labour party.”

The group added in its statement: “The wording of Diane’s letter was unfortunate in that it appeared to compare forms of racism. Diane has rightly apologised for this.”

Abbott’s allies on the left of the parliamentary party have thus far been notably quiet. MPs from the Socialist Campaign Group – the left wing group of Labour parliamentarians – have largely not commented publicly.

The former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, however, has done so. He told Tonight with Andrew Marr that her letter was a “terrible, terrible mistake”. He said: “I believe that this was a terrible, terrible mistake by Diane and she knows it. That’s why she immediately did the right thing and put out rapidly a profuse apology. As someone who played a role in the campaigns against anti-Irish racism in the 1980s, I can completely understand why people are angry.

“But all I can say is that I hope all those now sitting in judgement of her have the generosity of spirit to acknowledge that for decades she has been at the forefront of campaigning against racism and has endured so much herself. Hopefully we can all learn from this.”

Left wing commentators have also been discussing the developments.

Commentator Owen Jones said: “Utterly shocking and harmful comments from Dianne Abbott, who should know better than to pit marginalised groups against one another and trivialise horrific stains on our history. Good to see swift and appropriate action has been taken.

“Diane needs to show she understands the racism suffered by Jews, Irish, Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people, and then the Whip needs to be restored. But the moral grandstanding of people who indulge racism against refugees, migrants, Muslims and indeed Travellers? Nauseating.”

Rivkah Brown, commissioning editor at Novara Media and editor of left wing Jewish media outlet Vashti, said she agreed with ITV‘s political editor Robert Peston’s comments on Abbott’s suspension. Peston said “it is important to accept her apology in a spirit of kindness and understanding”. Brown shared these comments on Twitter, adding: “Incredibly, I agree with this man. Diane Abbott’s stupid, ill-informed comments come from a place of deep hurt, not hatred. She’s apologised, and is no doubt better informed about anti-GRT racism and anti-semitism as a result of this episode. Time to move the **** on.”

Jolyon Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, said: “I will always want to hear what Diane Abbott – the country’s first Black woman MP and someone who has experienced so much of it – has to say about anti-Black racism. Her ill-worded (draft) letter does not change that.”

Lester Holloway, editor of the Black newspaper The Voice, said: “It is sad that a coalition of people who have never been at the forefront of fighting anti-Black racism specifically, and those who actively deny it exists have come together to condemn someone who has fought anti-Black racism all her adult life.

“Two things can be true at the same time. We should be able to condemn anti-Semitism and anti-GRT racism, while recognising that anti-Black racism has different dynamics, a different history, and modern-day legacy.”

The Runnymede Trust – a think tank which focuses on race equality – said: “Utterly shocking and harmful comments from Dianne Abbott, who should know better than to pit marginalised groups against one another and trivialise horrific stains on our history. Good to see swift and appropriate action has been taken.”

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

Image credit: UK Parliament – Creative Commons

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