LEN LASHES OUT
Top union boss Len McCluskey has to be dragged away from row with Jewish activist over Labour anti-Semitism scandal
The top Corbyn ally shouted: 'If you want to talk about institutional racism, go to the Tories'
JEREMY Corbyn’s top union backer has been caught on camera losing his rag with Jewish activists.
Len McCluskey had to be led away by staff after clashing with Jewish Human Rights Watch at the Labour party conference.
2
He shouted that they should “go to the Tories” if they want to expose racism despite Labour’s own anti-Semitism scandal.
Mr McCluskey, the Unite general secretary, was filmed on his way in to a Palestine Solidarity Campaign event in Liverpool yesterday evening.
He was approached by an activist and asked why he described the anti-Semitism scandal as “mood music”.
The union boss admitted he was wrong to use the phrase, saying: “I realise that was an offensive phrase, and I’ll never use it again.”
2
But he denied that he used the inflammatory language in order to “minimise anti-Semitism”.
Mr McCluskey was then led away by the arm as another staff member asked the activist, “Can you stop hassling?”
But he suddenly turned around, pointing and shouting: “If you want to talk about institutional racism, go to the Tories, they're the institutional racism.”
Inside the pro-Palestine event, the Unite leader claimed that Labour only tightened up its rules on anti-Semitism to ease the political pressure on Mr Corbyn.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
He said: "The truth is that we were getting sucked in almost like the Charge of the Light Brigade - cannons to the right and left and in front of us, sucked in to a debate on our enemy's territory.
"It was important to make sure that the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn were eased.";
And Mr McCluskey insisted that Israel is an “apartheid state” during the meeting on the fringes of the party gathering.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online politics team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours
Topics