BBC expose on Labour anti-Semitism nominated for top TV prize

'Is Labour anti-Semitic?' tapped in Current Affairs category of BAFTA Television Awards to be held in July; documentary includes interviews with ex-party members who described hostile environment for Jews in Corbyn era

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A BBC expose of allegations of anti-Semitism in Britain's Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn was Thursday nominated for an award by the prestigious British Academy of Film and Television Award (BAFTA).
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    • The documentary, titled "Is Labour Anti-Semitic?" and broadcast in July 2019, has been tapped in the Current Affairs category of the academy's annual TV Awards.
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    British Jews protest outside parliament against Labour's Jeremy Corbyn    British Jews protest outside parliament against Labour's Jeremy Corbyn
    A 2018 protest outside the UK Parliament in London against anti-Semitism in Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party
    (Photo: AFP)
    The other nominees in the category feature child poverty in Britain, a British-born Islamic State fighter and state-operated oppression in China. The awards ceremony will be aired on July 31.
    The BBC investigation spoke to former Labour officials who said top party figures, including Corbyn’s communications director Seumas Milne and general secretary Jennie Formby, had minimized complaints of anti-Semitism against party members.
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    Jeremy Corbyn holds a wreath at the Tunis grave of Atef Bseiso, who helped plan the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics    Jeremy Corbyn holds a wreath at the Tunis grave of Atef Bseiso, who helped plan the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics
    Jeremy Corbyn holds a wreath at the Tunis grave of Atef Bseiso, who helped plan the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics
    (Photo: Courtesy)
    The investigation also quoted former Labour members who felt a hostile atmosphere toward Jews within the party in recent years, who were sometimes challenged over Israeli government actions by other party members.
    Labour dismissed the accusations, calling them “deliberate and malicious misrepresentations designed to mislead the public.”
    The party consistently battled accusations of anti-Semitism following Corbyn's election as leader in 2016.
    Corbyn - a veteran campaigner for Palestinian rights - as well as other senior party officials were criticized for failing to take decisive action to deal with it.
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    Sir Keir Starmer delivers his acceptance speech after being elected as the new leader of the British Labour Party     Sir Keir Starmer delivers his acceptance speech after being elected as the new leader of the British Labour Party
    Sir Keir Starmer was elected as the new leader of Britain's Labour Party in April
    (Photo: AFP/Screenshot)
    The veteran London MP was replaced as party leader in April, after leading Labour to two general election losses, including an historic defeat in December 2019 that left the Conservative Party with a massive majority.
    His replacement, former human rights lawyer Sir Keir Starmer, has vowed to cooperate fully with an impartial inquiry into anti-Semitism in the party by Britain's Equality and Human Rights Commission, and has met with the Jewish community to discuss the issue.
    Reuters contributed to this report
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