Packed Labour Against the Witchhunt Meeting Hears Chris Williamson MP
condemn the ‘antisemitism’ witchhunt

Alexei Sayle

Having arrived too late to attend Jeremy Corbyn’s
meeting at Liverpool’s Pierhead on Saturday night, I went straight to a meeting
at the CASA, Liverpool Labour Movement’s pub in Hope Street, Liverpool. The
CASA was set up as a result of the failure of the strike of the 500 Sacked
Liverpool Dockers in 1995-98 which was sold out by Bill Morris and the TGWU
leadership.#

It was the venue for the unveiling of a plaque to
the 47 Liverpool councillors who defied the Thatcher government and refused to
set a rate in the 1980’s.  This was a
Council which built more homes for working class people than every other Labour
Council put together.

LAW public meeting last night – standing room only

Audrey White who compared the proceedings

The labour movement failed these heroes and Neil
Kinnock scabbed on them with an infamous speech attacking them which led to the
walking out from Labour Party conference of the late Eric Heffer MP.

Speakers included Tony Mulhearn, one of the 47 and
Len McCluskey, General Secretary of UNITE. 
They were introduced by Audrey White, a veteran working class
fighter who went on strike against sexual harassmAurnt at work when she was
sacked in 1983.  She is also active in the
Liverpool  branch of Labour Against the
Witchhunt.

Chris Williamson MP speaking at the LAW meeting last night

I began the day early handing out leaflets and
giving out Palestinian flags at Labour Party conference.  In the afternoon I helped give run a stall at
Momentum’s misnamed The World Transformed
at the Black E in Liverpool’s Chinatown.

The Black ‘E’ where most WTF events were staged

I say misnamed because the World is not that
transformed that it can find space to include such subversive organisations as
Free Speech on Israel, Jewish Voice for Labour, Jackie Walker’s The Lynching or Labour Against the
War. WTF
is the ‘radical’ face of Jon Lansman who is careful to ensure that his pet
organisation keeps to acceptable political boundaries.


For example Anti-semitism
is the subject of morning sessions but Israeli Apartheid is not acceptable!   

Jo Bird spoke first from JVL followed by Alexei Sayle
who was on his humorous best.  Tony
Mulhearn spoke next and described the treachery of Neil Kinnock’s attack on the
Labour Liverpool councillors back in the mid-1980’s and his hypocrisy in
attacking a council that had stuck to its pledges. Tony emphasised that retreat
was not an option. 

Len McCluskey Audrey White with Tony Mulhearn speaking

I spoke next and emphasised that the ‘Anti-semitism’
witchhunt was not about anti-semitism. 
It was about removing Corbyn as Leader. 

Chris Williamson gave an excellent speech ridiculing the witchhunt and
emphasising that MPs are not doing a job. 
They are representing or supposed to represent their members and the
Labour Party. 

Chris pointed to the Orwellian nature of the
witch-hunt whereby Black was White and White was Black.  Chris received a standing ovation. Last of all
was Bob Walker, one of the Garston 3, a group of 70+ pensioners who had been
expelled without so much as a hearing, because they had attended a meeting of
the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition. Bob’s stories was extremely touching
and described the callous way in which 3 pensioners had been treated.  He too received a standing ovation

There was a vigorous question and answer session
afterwards before we retired to the pub!

Tony Greenstein