‘Jeremy Corbyn is a racist endeavour’: Countdown’s Rachel Riley wears provocative t-shirt slamming the Labour leader’s stance on anti-Semitism
- Jeremy Corbyn insisted during the debate he was taking anti-Semitism seriously
- However, his words have been criticised and been describes as untrue by critics
- Rachel Riley earlier wore a T-shirt saying ‘Jeremy Corbyn is a racist endeavour’
Jeremy Corbyn’s claim that he was taking his party’s anti-Semitism problem seriously was met with disbelief last night.
The Labour leader insisted he had ‘taken action’ to deal with the problem – and said any anti-Semites had been suspended or expelled from Labour.
But Karen Pollock, from the Holocaust Educational Trust, said Mr Corbyn’s claims were ‘blatantly untrue’.
Countdown presenter Rachel Riley was seen wearing a T-shirt saying ‘Jeremy Corbyn is a racist endeavour’, before the debate tonight
And Boris Johnson said he had listened ‘open-mouthed’ to Mr Corbyn’s reply. He said: ‘It is a complete failure of leadership what is happening over anti-Semitism.’
ITV host Julie Etchingham received a round of applause when she asked Mr Corbyn about a poll showing many Jewish people do not trust him over anti-Semitism.
The Labour leader replied: ‘Anti-Semitism is an absolute evil and scourge within our society.
‘I have taken action in my party, where anyone who has committed any anti-Semitic acts or made any anti-Semitic statements, they are either suspended or expelled from the party and we’ve investigated every single case. We do take this very seriously indeed.’
Phrase ‘Jeremy Corbyn is a racist endeavour’ is a reference to a series of posters that appeared in London describing Israel as a racist endeavour
Mr Corbyn said he understood and recognised the ‘desperate history of the Jewish people in the 20th century’, and added: ‘I do not want to live in a society where racism is rife.’
But Miss Pollock tweeted: ‘Dealt with all incidents of anti-Semitism? Expelled all guilty? Done everything to fight racism? COME OFF IT. You can say what you want, no come back, no scrutiny. Even when it is blatantly untrue.’
Earlier, Countdown presenter Rachel Riley was seen wearing a T-shirt saying ‘Jeremy Corbyn is a racist endeavour’.
The Jewish TV star was leaving the ITV studios in Salford, Greater Manchester, where Mr Corbyn was about to go head-to-head with Boris Johnson.
Miss Riley, who is pregnant, has been a persistent critic of anti-Semitism within Labour and has called for Mr Corbyn to condemn the prejudice.
The phrase ‘Jeremy Corbyn is a racist endeavour’ is a reference to a series of posters that appeared in London describing Israel as a racist endeavour.