From 2h ago
11.47 BST
Diane Abbott loses Labour whip over racism letter
row
The Labour party has removed the whip from Diane
Abbott over a row about a letter she wrote to the Observer newspaper that
appeared to compare the prejudice faced by Jewish people to that faced by
people with red hair, and which also sought to set apart “prejudice” against
Irish people and Travellers from the “racism” experienced by black people.
A
spokesperson for the Labour party said: “The Labour party completely condemns
these comments which are deeply offensive and wrong. The chief whip has
suspended the Labour whip from Diane Abbott pending an investigation.”
Abbott has
already tweeted to say she withdraws the remarks [see 11.36 BST] saying:
I wish to
wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself from them.
The errors arose in an initial draft being sent. But 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. Once again, I would like to
apologise publicly for the remarks and any distress caused as a result of them.
In the
letter, published in the Observer and on the website today, Abbott had written:
Tomiwa
Owolade claims that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people all suffer from
“racism”. They undoubtedly experience prejudice. This is similar to racism and
the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable.
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.
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