Labour MP Luciana Berger has hit back at an anti-Semitic Facebook post saying Jewish people are ‘welcome’ to leave the UK if Jeremy Corbyn becomes prime minister.
She branded the remark ‘unpleasant and nasty’ as allegations of hostility toward Jews continue to dog the Labour leader.
The post was highlighted on Twitter by the @GnasherJew account, which focuses on anti-Semitism among Labour supporters.
The post, on an account apparently operated by a man named Peter Arif, read: ‘When JC wins next GE if Jewish people aren’t happy they will be welcome to leave the UK.’
MP Luciana Berger has been an outspoken critic of anti-Semitism and is pictured speaking at a rally in Parliament Square, London
Campaigners shared the post sent by Peter Arid (above) which caused Luciana Berger to hit back with the below response
After Ms Berger, who is Jewish, said the post would keep her ‘awake’ at night, backers of the left-wing Labour leader suggested it was posted by a troll using a fake profile or bot.
But she and others have insisted the profile is genuine, citing mutual friends she has with him on Facebook.
The account has a long history of anti-Jewish posts as well as support for the Labour Party. The banner image is of Corbyn while the profile picture reads: ‘Let’s go with Labour and we’ll get things done.’
Among the account’s recent posts is a link to and praise for a video titled ‘What Jews really think about YOU (ethnically non Jewish People)’.
A picture from Peter Arif’s Facebook page which the account claims is of Mr Arif himself. Among the account’s recent posts is a link to and praise for a video titled ‘What Jews really think about YOU (ethnically non Jewish People)’
In another post – written after the post that upset Ms Berger – Arif asks: ‘Why people here are scared of Jews? They might have more money but certainly not above the Law. They CAN NOT swear at our Leader, and get away with it!’
In yet another post from today, he writes: ‘To all the Jews, your mask slipped long ago. Your hatred of Muslims is not rational.’
He even wrote in support of Turkish autocrat Tayyip Erdogan’s recent comments about ‘the spirit of Hitler’ living on in Israel.
It comes after Margaret Hodge – whose grandfather and uncle were murdered in the Holocaust – branded Corbyn a ‘f******’ anti-Semite.
Allegations of hostility toward Jews in the party have dogged his leadership and Ms Berger was one of the MPs to report abuse they received to Parliament in April.
Luciana Berger (left) and Margaret Hodge (right) have both been angered by anti-Semitism from Corbyn supporters
She said she received abuse at the hands of people using the hashtag JC4PM (Jeremy Corbyn for prime minister) on social media.
She said: ‘It is anti-Semitism of the worst kind; suggesting that I’m a traitor to our country, they have called me ‘Judas’, a ‘Zio-Nazi’, an ‘absolute parasite’, telling me to ‘get out of this country and to go back to Israel’.
Fellow Jewish MP Ruth Smeeth said she had received thousands of abusive messages from people claiming to be supporters of the Labour leader.
One read: ‘The first job for Jeremy Corbyn tomorrow: expel the Zionist b**** Ruth Smeeth from the party.’
Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership has been dogged by the issue of anti-Semitism, largely directed at MPs online
Another said: ‘Hang yourself you vile treacherous Zionist Tory filth, you’re a cancer of humanity.’
Ms Berger was also targeted by a serial troll who made anti-Semitic death threats after the murder of Jo Cox.
John Nimmo, 28, from South Shields, sent two emails to Ms Berger including threats that she would ‘get it like Jo Cox’ and warning her to ‘watch your back Jewish scum’.
The second message to the Liverpool Wavertree MP included a picture of a large knife and came just three weeks after MP Jo Cox was murdered.
In a separate incident he has also admitted sending offensive emails to an anti-hate crime organisation including threats to blow up a mosque.