Labour looking into complain against new NEC member

London (QNN)- The Labour Party has launched an investigation into social media posts by a newly elected member of the party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC), Gemma Bolton.

Her ‘crime’ is agreeing with the UN that Israel is an apartheid state and with Labour’s three biggest affiliated unions that the BDS campaign against goods and services produced in illegally-occupied Palestinian territories, is a an effective means of protest.

In August 2018, Bolton tweeted, “If I run the risk of getting suspended for calling Israel an apartheid state then so be it. Suspend me.”

In another tweet the next month, she expressed her support for boycotting goods from ‘Israel’, writing “BDS works”, with three clapping emoji’s.

Confirmed understanding that Labour is looking into a complaint against new NEC member Gemma Bolton, who tweeted in 2018 "If I run the risk of getting suspended for calling Israel an apartheid state then so be it".

— Sienna Rodgers (@siennamarla) November 16, 2020

Asked to comment on Bolton’s posts, a Labour Party spokesperson said that the Labour Party “takes all complaints of antisemitism extremely seriously” and they are fully investigated in line with the Labour’s rules and procedures.

However, Bolton did not respond when asked to comment on her posts, and she’s not currently suspended from the party.

Supporters of Bolton have drawn attention to the UN 2017 report stating that ‘Israel’ is “an apartheid regime that oppresses and dominates the Palestinian people as a whole.” However, crirics say that such expressions are used to delegitimise ‘Israel.’

Adam Wagner, who acted for the Campaign Against Antisemitism in Labour’s referral to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, was asked whether Bolton’s post could be considered antisemitic under the EHRC report.

He tweeted in response, “There is nothing – it’s not antisemitic. Certainly doesn’t fall within the IHRA definition. On what is quoted in the JC article, there is nothing there – nothing.”

There is nothing – it’s not antisemitic. Certainly doesn’t fall within the IHRA definition. On what is quoted in the JC article, there is nothing there – nothing. https://t.co/X3DJZvsFu4

— Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) November 16, 2020

In a piece for LabourList written by Bolton during the NEC campaign, Bolton expressed her support for “robust, transparent disciplinary processes” to challenge “the antisemitism and the Islamophobia that sadly continue to persist in our own ranks.”