Jeremy Corbyn criticised for video supporting minority groups which excludes Jewish community

Jeremy Corbyn is criticised for posting a ‘chilling’ Labour election video about the party’s support for minority groups which does not mention the UK’s Jewish community

  • Jeremy Corbyn put video about Labour’s support for minority groups on Twitter
  • Video lists a variety of groups and says ‘a Labour government will value you’
  • But there is no mention or reference to UK’s Jewish community, sparking outrage

Jeremy Corbyn has been heavily criticised after he published a ‘chilling’ Labour election video expressing the party’s support for minority groups which makes no mention of the UK’s Jewish community. 

Mr Corbyn posted the one minute and eight second video about diversity on Twitter on Saturday with the words ‘this is our strength’. 

The video uses a speech by shadow equalities secretary Dawn Butler as a voice over in which she lists various different groups and insists ‘a Labour government will value you’.

But the video does not refer to British Jewish people in a move which has sparked fury and risks worsening Labour’s existing anti-Semitism crisis. 

The party remains under formal investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission over its handling of allegations of anti-Semitism.  

Jeremy Corbyn, pictured in London today, has been criticised for posting a video in support of minority groups which makes no mention of the UK’s Jewish community

The video uses a speech by shadow equalities secretary Dawn Butler which lists a variety of different groups and says 'a Labour government will value you'

The video uses a speech by shadow equalities secretary Dawn Butler which lists a variety of different groups and says ‘a Labour government will value you’

Jonathan Goldstein, the chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, told The Jewish Chronicle the video demonstrated Labour has a ‘blind spot’. 

He described the absence of any reference to the Jewish faith in the video as ‘chilling’. 

‘To deliberately create and promote a video which talks about minority communities in this current climate and not mention the Jewish community really shows the blind spot that the Labour Party has,’ he said.

‘It shows they don’t regard the Jewish community or anti-Semitism as equal to other communities or racism of other types. 

‘You can not think anything other than that is chilling. If this is what they are like in opposition imagine what they would be like in government.’

A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews said the video ‘gets to the heart of Labour’s problems with the Jewish community’.

‘The Jewish community is “erased” as a minority group worthy of their support,’ the spokesman said.

Ms Butler said in her speech: ‘If you are in social housing, if you are LGBT+, if you are straight, if you are a traveller, if you struggle to pay the rent, if you wear a hijab, turban, cross, if you are black, white, Asian, if you are disabled, if you are old, if you are young, if you don’t have a trust fund. 

The video closes with a statement which reads 'our diversity is our greatest strength'

The video closes with a statement which reads ‘our diversity is our greatest strength’

‘If you didn’t go to Oxbridge, if you are working class, if you are under 18, if you are aspirational, if you work, if you are a carer, if you feel you won’t live beyond 25, if you have ever ticked the “other box”. 

‘You have a future and you are worthy. Worthy of equality, worthy of dignity and worthy of respect and a Labour government will value you. Just be your authentic self.’

The video ends with a statement on screen which reads: ‘Our diversity is our greatest strength. Let’s unite and unleash the potential of all our people.’

Labour did not respond to a request for comment.

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