A Labour MP has sparked outrage after blaming violent riots on Israel.
Norwich South MP Clive Lewis linked Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza with the recent unrest witnessed in England and Northern Ireland.
The former Shadow Defence Secretary, who was forced to retake his oath of allegiance after staging a protest, argued the “inhumanity” shown towards Palestinians led to rising Islamophobia in the UK.
Lewis came under fire from campaigners, with the Labour Party receiving a complaint from Labour Against Antisemitism.
In his original post, Lewis said: “The link between the daily inhumanity being meted out to Palestinians and rising Islamophobia in the UK, are not unconnected.
“The inhumanity being shown to one is giving ‘permission’ for the other. These actions diminish us all.”
Alex Hearn, the co-director of the Labour Against Antisemitism, branded Lewis’ comments as “highly irresponsible” and urged Sir Keir Starmer to remove the whip.
The Prime Minister’s spokeswoman appeared to indicate Starmer does not share Lewis’ view.
She said: “No, he would completely disagree.”
However, the Labour Party has so far rejected demands to suspend the Norwich South MP.
A Labour Party spokesman said: “All complaints are treated seriously and thoroughly assessed in line with our rules and procedures.”
Ex-Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who lost the whip after rebelling over the two-child benefit cap, leapt to Lewis’ defence.
He said: “It’s a bizarre warped logic that accuses Clive Lewis of antisemitism when he comments on how the visible inhumanity towards Muslims in Gaza displayed daily on our screens feeds into the inhumanity of some in our own country towards Muslims here.”
Riots were sparked across England and Northern Ireland following the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport on July 29.
More than 920 people were arrested, with 466 being charged.
Unrest spread after misinformation circulated about the perpetrator of the knife attack, with mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers being attacked.
However, Lewis’ suggestion comes after antisemitic incidents reached record highs following Hamas’ atrocious October 7 attack.
The Community Security Trust recorded reports of 1,978 anti-Jewish hate incidents between January and June, up from 964 in the first half of 2023.
Islamophobic sentiment has also been on the rise, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan expressing his own fears.
Speaking to journalists last week, Khan said: “Like a lot of people of my generation, I felt triggered by the events of the last couple of weeks in particular.
“It’s difficult to explain the ripples when you’ve been targeted because of your religion or colour of your skin and you can’t change either of those things.
“And whether you’re seeing physical acts of violence taking place in the North West or the North East, you feel it in London.
“What’s heartbreaking to me is my children’s generation had never experienced what I had. And they, for the first time, were scared.
“I thought I’d be the last generation to be scared, simply for who I am. And it breaks my heart.”
https://www.gbnews.com/politics/labour-mp-clive-lewis-israel-riots
