British Labour MPs urged their party to deal with “corrosive” anti-Semitic slurs from members after sharing their personal stories of abuse.
Luciana Berger, a Liverpool MP, said Labour must expel those with anti-Semitic views and criticised people who attacked her for speaking out on the issue but also claim to be both party members and online supporters of the #JC4PM campaign, which backs party leader Jeremy Corbyn becoming prime minister.
She was also was applauded by MPs from all sides after she detailed the anti-Semitic abuse she has faced, which she said began when she was aged 19 and described her as a “dirty Zionist pig”.
Ms Berger said people have accused her of being a “paid-up Israeli operative”, a traitor, an “absolute parasite”, and told her to “get out of the country and go back to Israel”.
She said the “hurt and anguish” of the Jewish community must be understood and taken seriously, adding the Government must conclude its work on how to better protect everyone online.
Following Ms Berger’s speech, Ruth Smeeth (who represents Stoke-on-Trent North), could be seen crying and was comforted by her party colleague Wes Streeting (Ilford North).
A standing ovation — in defiance of parliamentary convention — followed Ms Smeeth’s speech, in which the MP read a sample of the abuse aimed at her and insisted: “Enough really is enough.”
“I stand here today to say that we will not be bullied out of political engagement, we are going nowhere and we stand and will keep fighting until the evils of anti-Semitism have been removed from our society.”
Former minister Dame Margaret Hodge was applauded after a speech in which she said it felt as if her party has “given permission for anti-Semitism to go unchallenged”, adding: “Anti-Semitism is making me an outsider in my Labour Party. To that, I simply say enough is enough.”
John Mann, MP for Bassetlaw, said he had been targeted by campaign group Momentum for showing solidarity with Jewish Labour members, and he said his wife was “threatened with rape” by a “leftist anti-Semite”.
Mr Corbyn was in the Commons for large parts of the debate, with Communities Secretary Sajid Javid accusing the Labour leader of a “deeply worrying lack of leadership and moral clarity” on anti-Semitism.
Shadow communities secretary Andrew Gwynne said “much more work needs to be done” on anti-Semitism, adding: “No political party has the monopoly on vice or virtue but we will put our house in order.”
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott later said “one anti-Semite in the Labour Party is one too many”, also saying “nothing is gained” by accusing Mr Corbyn of being an anti-Semite.
She said the party was “serious” about fighting racism and anti-Semitism although acknowledged it had been “too slow” in dealing with some complaints — with measures being taken to address it.
Ms Abbott said the vast majority of Labour Party members were not anti-Semites.
“We know what has gone wrong in the past, we realise there is an issue, we are dealing with that issue and I believe that the public understand that we are serious about fighting racism and anti-Semitism.”