Luciana Berger On The "Volume And Toxicity" Of Left-Wing Anti-Semitism

24 February 2019, 13:44

Luciana Berger says that six people have been convicted of making anti-Semitic threats directed at her.

Speaking to Ayesha Hazarika, the former Labour MP said that out of the six people convicted for threats and abuse against her that two of them came from the left.

Luciana Berger was one of seven Labour MPs to quit the party last week to form a new group of Independent MPs called The Independent Group, with three former Tories joining days later.

But Ms Berger, who described the party as "institutionally anti-Semitic" in her resignation speech, said that there was "volume and toxicity" of abuse from the left.

- Luciana Berger Doesn't Rule Out Leadership Of Independent Group

Ms Berger said: "The volume and toxicity of stuff thats come from the left for daring to speak out, for daring to address this, because it's so incongruous with the values that I'm supposed to share with people on the left around anti-Semitism.

"People believe that there is a place for anti-Semitism on the left, that's what I found particularly challenging and difficult over in particular this past year.

"Not that it hasn't occurred at all before but it's certainly been given oxygen and I only have to reflect on what i've seen and the volume of it and from those accounts that use the hashtag #JC4PM in their biography."

Ayesha responded: "Anybody questioning the validity and existence of anti-Semitism coming from the left and within the labour movement, I hope you have listened to Luciana's words."