London mayor vows to 'root out antisemitism' in Labour after Corbyn re-election

"Whenever antisemitism rears its ugly head, I’ll be the first to call it out, condemn it and then work to stamp it out."

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Updated: SEPTEMBER 25, 2016 14:01
London Mayor Sadiq Khan (photo credit: REUTERS)
London Mayor Sadiq Khan
(photo credit: REUTERS)
London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Sunday reiterated his pledge to stamp out antisemitism in the English capital and in his Labor party the day after Jeremy Corbyn was re-elected as leader of the British opposition.
Khan, who backed Corbyn's opponent Owen Smith in the Labour leadership election, touched on an antisemitism scandal that has enshrouded Corbyn's leadership over the past year.
"Whenever antisemitism rears its ugly head, I’ll be the first to call it out, condemn it and then work to stamp it out," the mayor wrote in an essay published by the Holocaust Educational Trust on Sunday.
"I’ve been clear - we must do all we can to root out antisemitism wherever we find it – and, yes – that includes within the Labour party," he underlined.
Khan noted his British-Muslim background, saying "I know what it’s like to be discriminated against just because of your background or religion. And that’s why I’m determined to fight racism in all its forms and why challenging the alarming rise in antisemitism is a priority for me."
Khan's remarks came as Corbyn faced a complaint by the UK's non-profit Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) over a campaign video, which the organization charged had portrayed Jews as fabricating reports of antisemitism.
In line with the latest accusation of antisemitism against the party's leader, the CAA was seeking disciplinary action against Corbyn for the video that has since been removed from his social media accounts.
Meanwhile, British media reported Sunday that Jewish Labour member Lord Parry Mitchell had resigned from the party in light of Corbyn's reelection and his "lukewarm" approach to combating antisemitism.
Last month, Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a European capital city, was bombarded with antisemitic messages after stating that he would not support Corbyn in the Labour Party leadership race.
Several of the messages suggested that he had been influenced by Jews, the London-based news website Jewishnews.uk reported.
In a June op-ed in The Jerusalem Post, Kahn pledged to root out anti-Semitism in London and in the Labour Party.
JTA contributed to this report.