Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Johnson takes opportunity to berate Labour’s anti-Semitic ‘bullying and discrimination’

“I loathe bullying, but I am not taking any lessons from a party that has presided over systematic bullying and discrimination against those who stick up for the Jewish community and for Israel in this country,” said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson. Credit: CelebWikiProfiles.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson. Credit: CelebWikiProfiles.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticized a member of the Labour Party during a Parliament session on Wednesday for her party’s anti-Semitic “bullying and discrimination” against those who support Israel and the Jewish people.

Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire asked Johnson about allegations that Home Secretary Priti Patel bullied her staff during her 2016-17 tenure as international development secretary.

Johnson, who has defended Patel in the past, responded to Debbonaire, “I loathe bullying, but I am not taking any lessons from a party that has presided over systematic bullying and discrimination against those who stick up for the Jewish community and for Israel in this country.”

“And we have still yet to hear a proper apology from the Labour Party [or] from Labour leadership for what they have done,” he added.

Last month, the Labour Party expelled 25 members in one day over allegations of anti-Semitism.

Several Labour members resigned from the party last year and blasted its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, for allowing anti-Semitism to rise in the party under his leadership. Corbyn stepped down as party leader in December after suffering a landslide defeat to Johnson.

Johnson announced plans in December to pass a law criminalizing the BDS movement.

The legislation would empower the New York City Police Department to set limits on how close demonstrators can gather near schools, as critics warn of free speech infringement.
The move aims to boost long-haul capacity as other airlines scale back routes to and from Israel.
“School districts, like colleges and universities, must take prompt and effective action to address antisemitic harassment,” stated Harmeet Dhillon, assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights.
Just one Democratic congressman voted against the measure to require U.S. forces to be withdrawn from the conflict with Iran.
“This tool makes it easier to confront and understand family histories connected to the Nazi era,” Die Zeit stated in its introduction of the database.
The owners of La Chatelaine French Bakery & Bistro stated that they had relatives who suffered under Nazism, “will not host individuals who are at odds with our stance” against extremism.