The Labour Party is facing calls to expel Diane Abbott, after she tweeted that “the Jewish Defence Force is gunning down Palestinians as they queue for food”, along with the hashtag “#GazaGenocide”.
Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, which contains a substantial Jewish population, subsequently deleted the tweet. The social media post had been a comment on a quote attributed to American journalist Chris Hedges, best known in recent years for his show on Russian state television’s RT America network. Abbott has been vocally critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, tweeting last night that “the Israel Defence Force continues to slaughter unarmed Palestinians in cold blood.” It is unclear why she used the word “Jewish” in her tweet earlier today.
The IDF contains troops from numerous religious backgrounds, with Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze soldiers all serving in the Israeli military.
Russell Langer, director of public affairs for the Jewish Leadership Council, said:
“This is the latest in a series of grossly offensive remarks made by Diane Abbott towards the Jewish community. As an MP who has already had the whip suspended in the past, we expect a clear message of zero tolerance to be shown.”
A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies said:
“Diane Abbott’s disgraceful tweet this morning is the latest in her long line of anti-Jewish offences and provocations. Coming so soon after the appalling scenes at Glastonbury at the weekend, there can be no excuse, and she should now lose the whip as a Labour MP. After a long and trailblazing career, it is tragic that she will end it known mainly for her fomenting of bigotry.”
A spokesperson for the Labour Against Antisemitism Group said:
“Diane Abbott chose to make a derogatory comment on a totally unsubstantiated allegation harking back to medieval libels about Jews. This should cause the leadership of the party to question her appropriateness as an MP, particularly as so many of her constituents are Jewish.”
A close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, Ms Abbott served as the party’s Shadow Home Secretary during Mr Corbyn’s tenure as Labour leader. She was readmitted to the party ahead of last year’s general election, having had the whip removed in April 2023. The party had suspended her after a letter she wrote to the Observer newspaper in response to an article which had stated that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people all suffer from racism. Ms Abbott’s response was that these groups “undoubtedly experience prejudice” but not racism, going on to state that “it is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice.” She cited the pre-civil rights American South, Apartheid South Africa and Transatlantic slavery to back up her point.
The letter was widely condemned, both by Jewish groups and individuals as well as wider society. Abbott subsequently apologised, claiming that “the errors arose in an initial draft being sent” to the Observer.
Both Abbott’s office and the Labour Party have been contacted for comment.
