Diane Abbott, the longtime ally of socialist Jeremy Corbyn, has been suspended from the Labour Party after she argued that historically oppressed White people or Jewish people do not experience racism.
The Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington has opened up the latest anti-semitism scandal to befall the left-wing British Labour Party.
On Saturday, Diane Abbott objected to an opinion article in the left-wing Observer newspaper (the sister paper of The Guardian) that argued that Irish, Jewish and Traveller (Gypsy) people had all reported experiencing racism.
Writing in response to the piece, the far-left MP wrote: “It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus.
“In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships.”
Abbott argued that prejudice is not the same as racism, likely referencing the newfangled leftist academic definition of racism which requires a system of power in support of the prejudice, and therefore conveniently precludes white people from experiencing racism.
Responding to the outlandish comments from the MP, political commentator Chris Rose said: “Diane Abbott believes in an ignorant hierarchy of racism, where Jewish people are considered “white” so don’t face racism, just prejudice akin to being ginger.
“Jews have faced attempted genocide. This is as offensive as it is staggeringly stupid.”
Meanwhile, Brexit leader Nigel Farage said “Does the revisionist Diane Abbott not realise that huge numbers of white slaves were taken from all over Europe and the UK and taken to North Africa? We all knew she was bad at maths, but her history is even worse!”
The comments from the far-left MP caused a political firestorm and forced the Labour Party leadership to suspend the whip from her while an investigation is carried out.
Abbott has been a longtime ally of septuagenarian socialist Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the Labour Party that was kicked out of the party for failing to properly apologise for the anti-semetic culture that was said to have existed within the party during his tenure.
Taking to Twitter following the media controversy — which focussed on Jewish people rather than the Traveller or Irish communities — Abbott said that she “wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks” and attempted to blame her remarks on “an initial draft being sent”.
“There is no excuse, and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused. Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others,” Abbott added.
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