SCOTTISH Labour leader Richard Leonard apologised to Scotland’s Jewish community yesterday, promising party members that he would “root out” anti-Semitism in Labour.
Ephraim Borowski, director of the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, has criticised the party, saying Labour’s failure to deal with anti-Semitism met the definition of “institutional racism”.
READ MORE: Richard Leonard: Labour is struggling with number of complaints
Scottish Labour found itself engulfed in the row after it briefly suspended Jim Sheridan, a former MP and now a Renfrewshire councillor.
The veteran politician posted on Facebook about his loss of “respect and empathy for the Jewish community and their historic suffering ... due to what they and their Blairite plotters are doing to my party”.
Though he apologised, he also accused critics of overreacting.
Leonard told delegates at the party’s conference in Dundee that Labour needed to “win back the trust of Scotland’s Jewish communities”.
“It sickens me that there is any anti-Semitism at all in our party and in our movement. That is not who we are and it is not what we are about.
“We are not simply a non-racist party, we are an anti-racist party. Anti-Semitism does not represent Labour values. There is no place in our party for prejudice, bigotry, hatred and racism,” he said. “And that’s why I say to you this afternoon unequivocally, we will root it out.”
READ MORE: Emails show Corbyn staff intervened in Labour activist anti-Semitism probe
Leonard also used his conference speech to pay tribute to the party’s MEPs.
Earlier this week, his predecessor forced him to apologise for “censoring” a Brexit-related report to Scottish Labour’s conference.
Kezia Dugdale formally complained after the party leader north of the Border ordered the removal of a statement about support for a People’s Vote from the conference guide without the author’s permission.
Dugdale said she was “shocked” that a passage by former Scottish Labour MEP Catherine Stihler, describing Brexit as a “tragedy” and backing a second EU referendum, was replaced.
The original passage of the report Stihler co-authored with fellow MEP David Martin read: “Brexit is a tragedy for our country and for the workers and communities the Labour Party represents. “That’s why David and Catherine fully support a People’s Vote with the option to remain in the EU.”
However this was changed to: “The complete mess the Tories have made of Brexit means they are putting Scottish people’s jobs and our industries at risk. Labour will always put them first.”
READ MORE: Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard forced to apologise over 'censored' anti-Brexit comment
In a leaked email to Leonard, Dugdale wrote: “When that was challenged, she was told it was on your direction and that you had the final say on what was printed.”
Yesterday, in his speech, Leonard said Labour owed Stihler and Martin a “debt of gratitude”, calling them a “a credit” to the party.
There were also huge cheers for Leonard when he said Labour would back a public vote on Brexit, if Theresa May refused to accept their “credible alternative”.
The Scottish Labour chief’s big policy announcement was a proposal to nationalise Scotland’s bus services, and extend free bus travel to the under-25s.
Responding to Leonard’s address, the SNP MSP Shona Robison said Labour were “completely out of touch”.
“They’re more interested in fighting each other rather than fighting for the people of Scotland.”
She added: “Both Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard seem willing to crash us out of the EU in just 20 days’ time – throwing thousands of jobs on the scrapheap and damaging our NHS.
“And they’re content to team up with the Tories to deny Scotland the right to choose its own future, while we get hammered by Westminster governments we didn’t vote for.”
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