Labour expels Corbyn-appointed Jewish-liaison official who was brought in to improve party’s strained relationship with the community
- Heather Mendick was dropped from Labour following a 15-month investigation
- It was claimed that her behaviour undermined their ‘campaign against racism’
- She published several tweets referring to the ‘weaponisation’ of anti-Semitism
Labour has dropped a woman appointed to better the party’s relationship with Jewish people, following accusations that she ‘undermined’ the party’s fight against discrimination.
Heather Mendick has been expelled just three years after starting as a stakeholder officer given to a 15-month investigation that looked into claims of her breaking party rules.
The allegations followed a number of controversial tweets by Jeremy Corbyn-appointed official, who is Jewish.
One of Ms Mendick’s tweets read: ‘The weaponisation of anti-Semitism against the Left and how it is used to silence criticism of Israel are well-rehearsed.’
Heather Mendick has been expelled just three years after starting as a stakeholder officer given to a 15-month investigation that looked into claims of her breaking party rules
In 2019 she also claimed that there was a ‘false narrative’ of anti-Semitism rife within the party which ‘needed to be challenged from the start’.
A year prior, she said that conversations surrounding anti-Semitism in Labour were ‘neither a rational not a proportionate response’.
Labour said that her behaviour ‘undermines the party’s ability to campaign against racism, and/or makes mendacious, dehumanising, demonising or… and/or may reasonably be seen to involve anti-Semitic actions, stereotypes and sentiments.’
Following the allegations, Ms Mendick posted a 25-minute video on YouTube in which she called the party a ‘cesspit’ and said that she was ‘kind of relieved’ she had been the victim of a witch-hunt.
She said: ‘It’s been tiring to be a member in these circumstances, and I don’t have to do that anymore. In fact I can’t do that anymore.’
Ms Mendick also told the Telegraph: ‘This is not just about me. So many people I know who worked really hard for the Labour Party, often giving years of their lives to it, are being treated appallingly by the party we loved.’
Last year, Ms Mendick posted a letter on Twitter which she claimed was sent from Labour to outline her disciplinary breaches.
The letter claimed there were 14 instances in which Ms Mendick had been ‘reasonably’ involved in ‘anti-Semitic actions, stereotypes and sentiments.’
It cited her support for Chris Williamson – an MP who said that Labour was ‘too apologetic’ over anti-Semitism.
Jeremy Corbyn was suspended from the party two years ago after claiming that anti-Semitism complaints were an ‘exaggeration’ of the truth due to political motives
At the time, she tweeted: ‘I’m Jewish. Chris Williamson is not anti-Semitic. In my view, your abuse of the term antisemitism makes the fight against it more difficult.’
In response to the letter she also said: ‘These [statements] express widespread political opinions about the way that antisemitism is functioning both in the party and in wider society.
‘There is clear evidence that Jewish members appear disproportionately among those being investigated, suspended and excluded for ‘antisemitism’. This is unsurprising as the Party is using its disciplinary processes to police what members can say about Jewish identity and about anti-Jewish racism.’
Jeremy Corbyn was suspended from the party two years ago after claiming that anti-Semitism complaints were an ‘exaggeration’ of the truth due to political motives.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission published a report which said that claimed the party ‘did not do enough to prevent anti-Semitism and, at worst, could be seen to accept it’.
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