News Story

NEWS STORY : Diane Abbott Suspended from Labour Party over Hate Speech

STORY

Diane Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, has been suspended from the Labour Party following hate speech when she wrote that Jewish people did not face racism. A spokesperson for the Labour Party said:

“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.”

Abbott had written:

“Tomiwa Owolade claims that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people all suffer from “racism”. 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. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus. In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships.”

Grant Shapps, the Net Zero Secretary, posted on Twitter:

“Once again, Jewish people have to wake up and see a Labour MP casually spouting hateful anti-semitism. Keir_Starmer, are you actually going to do anything?”

RESOURCES

Diane Abbott Statement of Apology