2021 (3 mins)
Michael Ellman is an 83 year old member of the Labour Party, falsely accused of antisemitism. His is the second of a series of interviews issued by Labour Activists for Justice (LA4J), a group of Labour Party members who have been caught up in the absurdities of Labour’s disciplinary processes.
Michael is an observant Jew. Here he explains his reasons for joining in a legal action against the Labour Party. He gives the background to his story, and why he and other members have been forced to use the law to try and get justice – for all party members.For more detail of this hugely important case, or to donate to our legal fund click the link here.https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/justice-4-labour-party-members/
More about Michael Ellman
Michael Ellman) is auditor of Junction Ward branch of Islington North CLP. He is a practising Jew. He joined the Labour Party in 1980, re-joined in 2015, and is a solicitor and former Vice-President of FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), who has fought for human rights and against racism all his life. He proposed a motion in August 2020 to an internal branch meeting to reconsider the IHRA definition of antisemitism because it might stifle legitimate political debate, and substitute the Oxford English Dictionary definition. His motion was leaked to the Press by an unknown person and he was immediately suspended from the Party for conduct grossly prejudicial to the Party following a complaint by an unknown person. Although his suspension has now been lifted, its lifting was accompanied by a warning about unspecified behaviour.
I stand with you Michael. I also was accused of anti semitism and my case has simply withered away…no response from LP since I answered all their questions dutifully more than a year ago. No suspension but no acknowledgement that I was falsely accused either. Simply bullying. I will support you in every way I can.
I wish you all the very best. The injustices meted out by the LP to its members have been shaming over the last 5 years. All to do with factional politics, not with wrong doing. Good luck.
Mr. Ellman forcibly reminded me of Paul Robeson in ‘The Proud Valley’. They both radiate humanity, one persecuted by McCarthyism, the other by the disturbing vision blindness of central office.
The acceptance of theIHRA on anti semitism by some on the
Left and some Trade Unions was a lack of real analysis and a
Massive error.
A really useful database by Lara Friedman of the Foundation for Middle East Peace on groups (including numerous ‘soft Zionist’ groups which now oppose the IHRA ‘antisemitism’ definition: https://fmep.org/resource/challenging-the-ihra-definition-of-antisemitism-expert-views-resources/
https://fmep.org/resources/?rsearch=&rcat%5B%5D=626
Opponents of the IHRA definition even include Kenneth Stern, the man who drafted it!
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/13/antisemitism-executive-order-trump-chilling-effect.
Just this week , Baroness Faulkner, the new chair of the EHRC (yes, that EHRC, which investigated the Labour Party for antisemitism) has come out against the IHRA definition, saying that it is “extremely poorly worded” and “directly conflicts with the duty on universities to protect free speech”: https://twitter.com/jsternweiner/status/1355200379718430721
Thanks for those links, James…. and your contribution to the debate.
It’s disgraceful that Kier Starmer and his clique have weaponized antisemitism to purge socialists from the Labour Party. The result is that any body who openly opposes Israel’s apartheid regime is suspended from the party, socialist or not.
It is bad enough having an utterly corrupt Tory government who recently stated that it is not in the public interest to establish whether they acted lawfully in channelling hundreds of millions or billions to their VIP associates. Is it any wonder now the party elite are responsible for thousands of deaths and still increasing, thousands of people losing their jobs, homes and mental stability. But now we have a CORRUPT Labour Party too.
I joined the Labour party when it was a democratic party in 1957 and believed until 2015 that the Labour Party was an honest, trustworthy and democratic party. None of these values are now held as was seen from the character assassination of Jeremy Corbyn by the Blairites in addition to Luciana Berger (parachuted into the Wavertree constituency by warmonger Blair) Margaret Hodge, Ruth Smeeth, Louise Ellman, John Mann, Wes Streeting not forgetting corrupt Labour Party Head Office staffers who secured a Tory government in 2017.
After watching the undercover reporting by Al Jazeera in THE LOBBY, it is very clear that Israel has far too much influence and power in the Labour Party which is why Chris Williamson, Mark Wadsworth, Jackie Walker, Michael Ellman and others have been suspended. No doubt Blair has much influence financially too. Keir Starmer and David Evans are not fit to be members of the Labour Party let alone in positions of power they are traitors and have a corrupting influence and are not of a high enough calibre.
In my life I have always voted Labour ,I also joined the Labour Party when JEREMY CORBYN became leader as I saw for the first time in many years we were a true socialist party .With the total injustice that Jeremy has had to put up with and plus the suspension of many of members who worked their socks off trying to make a difference to everyone lives in the election I feel totally let down by Labour and I am considering cancelling my membership as they are not in my opinion action in the public’s interest.
Solidarity, Jane!!!