British Labour Party member Rebecca Long-Bailey was ousted on Thursday as shadow education secretary after sharing an “anti-Semitic conspiracy theory” on Twitter.
Member of Parliament Long-Bailey, 40, an ally of former U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, was asked by Labour leader Keir Starmer to quit after sharing on Twitter an interview in The Independent in which actress Maxine Peake falsely claimed, “The tactics used by the police in America, kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, that was learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services.”
Sharing the article, Long-Bailey wrote, “Maxine Peake is an absolute diamond.”
Starmer said, “The sharing of that article was wrong … because the article contained anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and I have therefore stood Rebecca Long-Bailey down from the shadow cabinet.
“I’ve made it my first priority to tackle anti-Semitism and rebuilding trust with the Jewish community is a number one priority for me,” he said.
On Twitter, Long-Bailey defended her decision to share the article, arguing that “its main thrust was anger with the Conservative Government’s handling of the current emergency and a call for Labour Party unity.”
In a statement, the Jewish Labor Movement welcomed the move.
“We have consistently maintained that the pervasive culture of anti-Semitism, bullying and intimidation can only be tackled by strong and decisive leadership,” continued the group. “The culture of any organization is determined by the values and behaviors of those who lead them.”
