Antisemitism in the Labour Party’s Public Discourse Under Corbyn’s Leadership
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2025-08-26
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en
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This bachelor's thesis explores manifestations of antisemitism within the British Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. The study employs theoretical frameworks from scholars such as David Rich, David Hirsh, and Gidley et al., to analyse how antisemitism is perpetuated through 1) the “oppressor-oppressed binary”, 2) the “politics of position”, and 3) the dual identification of Jews with capitalism and colonialism on the one hand, and the Israeli-Arab conflict on the other. Rich’s theory of an “oppressor-oppressed binary” states that a complex political and historical situation is oversimplified casting Israelis as oppressors and Palestinians as oppressed, thereby ignoring all other forms of oppression. Hirsh’s theory of “politics of position” builds on that and explains how the alignment with the oppressed in such a binary model of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East leads to the inability to call out antisemitism, even if it is completely unrelated to the conflict. Gidley et al. explain how the identification of Jews with capitalism and colonialism as well as with Israeli politics constitutes a contemporary form for century-old antisemitic thinking. The thesis provides concrete examples for each theory of contemporary antisemitism within the Labour party, such as Jeremy Corbyn’s claim that Hamas and Hezbollah are his “friends”, his defence of a mural that was widely described as antisemitic, Jackie Walker’s claim that Jews were the “chief financier of the slave trade” and finally, Naz Shah's demand to relocate Israelis. The study emphasizes the importance of a complex understanding of antisemitism, advocating for critical thinking and an unwavering stance against all forms of prejudice.
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