Labour can expel antisemites – but that won't 'root out' antisemitism in our culture David Feldman
over 5 years in The guardian
Keir Starmer has pledged to eradicate antisemitism in his party. But it is not a ‘virus’ or ‘poison’ – it is a reservoir of hateful stereotypes deeply embedded in society
David Feldman is director of the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism at Birkbeck, University of London
The election of Keir Starmer as leader provides the Labour party with an opportunity to draw a line under its long-running controversy over antisemitism. But will this happen? Before Labour, or anyone else, can effectively address the problem they must rethink the way antisemitism operates in Britain today.
Conventionally, Labour’s friends and enemies say the party’s problem is the number of antisemites in its ranks. Partisans debate whether that number is large or small. Understandable though this is, the intense focus on antisemites has been a mistake. The more fundamental and widespread problem is one of antisemitism, not antisemites. The source of Labour’s difficulty lies in our political culture. Continue reading...
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