Maajid Nawaz: Jeremy Corbyn "Wilfully Ignorant" In Anti-Semitism Article
4 August 2018, 13:07 | Updated: 5 August 2018, 07:26
Maajid Nawaz says the article Jeremy Corbyn wrote in the Guardian can only be perceived as "wilful ignorance".
Jewish leaders have criticised the timing of Jeremy Corbyn's written article over the anti-semitism row within the Labour Party.
He wrote in the Guardian that he wanted to address the 'storm of criticism' that was aimed at his failure to deal decisively with anti-semitism in his party.
But the Labour leader has come under fire as it was published at a time observant Jews would not be able to respond to it.
Editor of the Jewish Chronicle, Stephen Pollard vented his anger on Twitter, and called the piece "awful".
So keen is Corbyn to engage with Jews that he publishes this (awful) piece on a Friday night, for a Saturday paper. So not a single observant Jew can engage with it. (And he did the same thing with the Chakrabarti report, announcing it Friday night.) https://t.co/RMaAgLDTtg
— Stephen Pollard (@stephenpollard) August 3, 2018
Maajid Nawaz echoed some of the criticisms of Jeremy Corbyn on his LBC show.
He said: "How on earth did it not occur to Jeremy Corbyn, not occur to any of his inner circle advising him, that publishing a rebuttal to the allegations an hour before the beginning of the Sabbath, can only be perceived as anything but wilful ignorance?
"Those who don't want to give him the benefit of the doubt would believe this to be a form of deliberate belligerence.
"A form of attempt to deny observant Jews a response."
