The Scottish Jewish community has thrown its weight behind protests against anti-Semitism outside Westminster last night.
The move comes as UK Labour and Scottish Labour leaders both pledged zero tolerance on anti-Semitism, as well as other forms of discrimination.
But the Jewish Leadership Council’s Scotland manager Danielle Bett (cor) said there had so far been whitewashing of anti-Semitism and Jeremy Corbyn needs to start listening to the Jewish community, which is as affected by hate crime in Scotland as elsewhere.
“The feeling that ‘enough is enough’ is just as strong here as elsewhere in the UK,” she said. “The Jewish community here in Scotland has seen a rise in anti-Semitic hate crime in the last year and there has been a rise in anti-Semitic comments and actions, not just day-to-day, but in mainstream politics.
“That is coming from the right and the left – it is not solely the Labour party – but Jeremy Corbyn is the main opposition leader for this country.
“He needs to take a step back and listen to the Jewish community because so far the issue has been whitewashed and has now become politicised.”
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Andrew Bowie, a member of Conservative Friends of Israel, said he backed the protesters and believed it was right to “draw attention” to the issue of anti-Semitism.
He said: “Richard Leonard has to answer on behalf of the UK leader to the sizable Jewish population for the failure of Jeremy Corbyn to apologise for some of the things he has done.
“It’s incumbent on Jeremy Corbyn to apologise and we should remember these are not incident sfrom 30 or 40 years ago but since 2012.”
Ahead of the protest, Jeremy Corbyn apologised for his own actions and recognised there had been instances of anti-Semitism within the party, in a statement pledging to be a “militant opponent of antisemitism”.
Mr Corbyn said he would launch a political education policy within the party, particularly a strand of anti-Semitism he labelled “the socialism of fools”, which he said would “increase awareness and understanding of all forms of antisemitism”.
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said the party had a zero tolerance policy towards anti-Semitism and wider discrimination.
“Scottish Labour has a zero tolerance policy towards discrimination of any kind,” he said. “I called out anti-Semitism when I spoke at the Stand Up to Racism rally in George Square recently.
“And I have made it clear that anti-Semitism is not a battle for the Jewish community to fight alone, it is a battle for all of us.
“I am keen to meet with Danielle Bett of the Jewish Leadership Council in Scotland to discuss how we can work together.”
