LABOUR was tonight rocked by ANOTHER anti-Semitism storm as a shocking video emerged of a candidate playing a song Jewish leaders say is about the destruction of Israel.
Councillor and bass player Alana Bates who is standing as an MP in St Ives, Cornwall strums along to lyrics including “Israel is a racist state” and Israel is an apartheid state in the clip.
Alana Bates is standing for the Labour Party in St Ives
She is seen in the video with “radical” rock band The Tribunes playing the song called From the river to the Sea.
The song’s title is a phrase used by terrorist group Hamas and has been blasted by the Jewish group the Anti Defamation League (ADL) as divisive and a call from the destruction of Israel.
The lyrics branding Israel racist are deemed anti-Semitic by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) because they claim “that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavour.”
But Bates denied the song has any anti-Semitic meaning – and that it was written by the group out of support for Palestinians.
She told The Sun Online: I obviously support Israels right to exist
“The song says that Israel is a racist state. I would personally say that the government policies of Israel are racist.”
Bates also confirmed Labour HQ has ordered her to remove it from her social media.
The new footage of Bates on stage has sparked outrage among opponents who have branded her band’s song “racist” as yet another anti-Semitism row plagues the party.
It comes just days after claims emerged Dan Carden, who served in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet before Parliament dissolved, sang “Hey Jews” to the tune of Beatles classic “Hey Jude”.
The footage from 2016 shows The Tribunes belting out lyrics and another video of the band playing the same song in 2015, with Ms Bates on bass guitar in both films, was also posted on their Facebook page.
DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM
– The song includes the lyrics: “Israel is a racist state, Israel is an apartheid state”
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) defines anti-Semitism as “denying the Jewish people their right to self determination eg. by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavour”.
The song explicitly calls Israel a racist state, therefore, by the definition of the IHRA, could be considered anti-Semitic.
– The song also contains the lyrics: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”
The phrase “from the river to the sea” is often used by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism says the verse “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the Jewish state and its replacement with a Palestinian state.
This would be an attempt to uniquely deny Jews the right to self-determination and in turn be defined as anti-Semitic by IRHA
Campaigners and Jewish leaders branded the song anti-Semitic and believe the chorus is “a call for the destruction of the Jewish state”.
Jeremy Jacobson OBE, chairman of the Cornwall Jewish Community, told Sun Online: “We are concerned about antisemitism in any form.
“According to the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism: ‘denying the Jewish people their right to self determination eg. by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavour’ is considered anti-Semitic.”
A spokesman for the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism told Sun Online: “The verse: ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ which only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the Jewish state and its replacement with a Palestinian state, is thus an attempt to uniquely deny Jews the right to self-determination.
A former Labour group leader in Cornwall has hit out at Bates and called for her to be expelled by the party.
Councillor Tim Dwelly hit out: “She should be expelled by Labour immediately.” He goes on to label the song as “repulsive racism”.
But Bates accused Cllr Dwelly of a political “vendetta” and added: “I obviously support Israels right to exist and Labours policy is to have a two-state solution to the Palestinian Israel problem and I support that as a member of the Labour Party.
HAMAS SLOGAN
“Its not a political manifesto. I didnt write it for a start. Its a song.
“At no point during the song does it say Jewish people out of the Middle East. At no point does it talk about Jewish people at all. Its about Israel.
“The song says that Israel is a racist state. I would personally say that the government policies of Israel are racist. The Labour Party asked me to take it down.”
Last year, political commentator Marc Lamont Hill was axed by CNN after he used the phrase in a speech.
Bates added: “Ive been to Palestine, Ive been to the refugee camp in the West Bank and seen how people are living out there and it makes me extraordinarily upset so we wanted to write a song that was for freedom for the Palestinians.
“The song talks about getting troops out of the Middle East, which is British and American troops its not about getting Israel out of the Middle East.
“Basically thats a slogan from the anti-war movement who wish that the war hadnt happened in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Those troops should be home. Were not talking about getting Israel out of the Middle East, were talking about getting troops out of the Middle East.”
An image from the video of The Tribunes when they are seen playing From the river to the sea”
Bates is a bass player and backing singer in self proclaimed “radical” rock band The Tribunes
She is also a councillor in Cornwall
Mr Jacobson said: “Yes, there is racism in Israel, but there is racism in the UK, there is racism everywhere. Why does the singer single out Israel?
“Why doesn’t she also attack other states which have a far worse record than Israel when it comes to racism?
“Why always Israel, this tiny sliver of land granted to the Jews after 6 million of them had been slaughtered only a few years before, after 2000 years of persecution, massacres, slaughter, attacks, expulsions?”
Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership has been dogged by an ongoing row over anti-Semitism among activists and officials of the Labour Party.
It culminated in Scotland Yard launching a criminal investigation into alleged hate crimes – andseven MPs quitting in protest at the failure to tackle the problem – but the party continues to be plagued by the same issue.
Last year, Corbyn sparked fury after defending an artist who painted an anti-Semitic mural.
The saga reignited the party’s longstanding battle with anti-Semitism allegations and the Labour leader eventually admitted it was right the painting was removed.
Then just months later he admitted for the first time being present as a wreath was laid for members of the terrorist group who carried out the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre.
The Labour leader said that he watched the wreath being placed to honour members of the Black September group, which killed 11 Israeli athletes, but did not think he was involved.
The party has come under regular fire over its handling of disciplinary action against members accused of making anti-Semitic remarks – such as Ken Livingstone, who was suspended for two years for claiming Hitler was a Zionist.
Naz Shah, former MP for Bradford West, also resigned and apologised as an aide to shadow chancellor John McDonnell after she was accused of sharing anti-Semitic graphics on social media.
And just last week Corbyn vowed to probe claims a Labour shadow minister sang “Hey Jews” to the “Hey Jude” Beatles classic on a raucous coach trip.
Dan Cardenhas categorically denied singing the vile slur on a journey back to London from the Cheltenham races.
Labour is aware of the video and asked for it to be taken offline, according to Bates.
The party has been approached by Sun Online for comment.
Alana is a Corbyn backer
The video has sparked outrage among campaigners
