‘Profound disappointment’ as Corbyn attends book launch hosted by anti-Israel group with Iran links

Board of Deputies Vice President Marie van der Zyl has expressed “profound disappointment” at the news that Labour  Leader Jeremy Corbyn this week attended an event hosted by controversial group the Islamic Human Rights Commission.

Marie said: “In a week when the Labour Party has produced a discussion document on how to confront antisemitism within its ranks and Jeremy Corbyn visited the Nazi concentration camp at Terezin, it is profoundly disappointing that the Party leader also saw fit to attend a book launch hosted by the Islamic Human Rights Commission. This is an organisation which organises Al Quds Day – an Iranian-backed anti-Israel event which every year features the flying of a flag of antisemitic movement Hezbollah, which is massacring civilians in Syria and whose military arm is a proscribed terror organisation. This is the same group which gave its ‘Islamophobe of the Year’ award to the murdered staff of Charlie Hebdo – two months after they were butchered – and whose Genocide Memorial Day is deliberately timed to undermine Holocaust Memorial Day. The whole situation rings of one step forward and at least two steps back. We call on Mr Corbyn to immediately disavow this disgraceful organisation.”