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Thursday, April 28, 2016

Ken Must Go Over Hitler Comment: Labour MPs


Labour MPs have called for Ken Livingstone to be suspended from the party after he said that Hitler was a Zionist.
Mr Livingstone also said social media comments posted by Labour MP Naz Shah suggesting Israel should be relocated to the US and claiming everything Hitler did was legal were not "anti-Semitic".
And he said that there was a "well-orchestrated campaign by the Israel lobby to smear anybody who criticised Israeli policy as anti-Semitic".
His comments intensified the anti-Semitism crisis that has engulfed Labour and 10 MPs, including the London mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan, have called for him to be removed from the party.
The MP John Mann confronted Mr Livingstone and shouted at him that he was a "******* disgrace". He has called for him to go.
Jess Phillips tweeted: "Ken Livingstone must be suspended from the Labour Party."
Mr Khan said: "Ken Livingstone's comments are appalling and inexcusable. There must be no place for this in our Party."
Wes Streeting said: "Ken Livingstone has form on anti-Semitism and has been tolerated for far too long. He should be suspended immediately.
"Decent Labour members need to decide how to respond to anti-Semitism within our ranks. Silence is complicity. We must all speak out."
Ms Shah apologised for her anti-Semitic comments in the House of Commons on Wednesday and was suspended after David Cameron said it was "extraordinary" that action had not been taken against her.
Jeremy Corbyn has been roundly criticised for not taking firm enough action to tackle anti-Semitism in the party and for failing to withdrawn the whip from Ms Shah himself.
Asked whether he thought Ms Shah's comments were anti-Semitic on BBC radio, he said: "No it's completely over the top but it's not anti-Semitic ...
"Let's remember when Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism.
"This is before he went mad and ended up killing 6m Jews."
He said that in all his time as a Labour member he had never heard anyone say anything anti-Semitic and suggested the "Israel lobby" had orchestrated a campaign to smear people.
Speaking to Sky News after the interview he said he was "stating historical facts" and he "didn't want to give credence" to those MPs calling for him to go.
In 2005 Mr Livingstone was embroiled in an anti-Semitism row after asking Jewish reporter Oliver Finegold if he was a "German war criminal" and telling him: "You are just like a concentration camp guard, you are just doing it because you are paid to, aren't you?"
A number of Labour MPs have called on the Labour leadership to crackdown on anti-Semitism in the party following the disclosure of a number of anti-Semitic comments by members. 
In March, shadow chancellor John McDonnell, said in an interview those who held those opinions should be "out, out, out. If people express these views, full stop, they are out".
Ms Shah was forced to step down as his parliamentary aide on Tuesday when the disclosures about her comments were made.

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