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Controversial MP to make West Norfolk visit




A controversial politician is set to make an appearance in West Norfolk this weekend.

MP Chris Williamson is due to attend an event at the Downham Methodist Church on Saturday night, which has been billed as an opportunity to question him on “the challenges facing Labour.”

But the move has angered members of the area’s Jewish community, who described the event as "far from helpful."

Downham Market Methodist Church (1938442)
Downham Market Methodist Church (1938442)

The event, which is free to attend, is not being promoted as an official Labour function, though organiser Phil Wagstaff said he expected many party members would be interested in going.

He said: “I think he’s an extremely important and influential person who has been very badly done to by the Labour Party.

"I fully support his policies and hope he will be returned to the Labour Party to take up his rightful position.”

Mr Williamson, who represents the Derby North constituency, has been a key figure in the row over anti-Semitism which has dogged Labour in recent times.

This afternoon, he lost a High Court action against his suspension from the party, which he had claimed was unlawful.

Although the decision to re-suspend him in June was deemed unlawful, the ruling stated that the case relating to a more recent suspension must be allowed to proceed.

Mr Williamson's supporters are now calling for him to be reinstated following the ruling, though Jewish leaders say he should be expelled from the party altogether.

And a representative of West Norfolk's Jewish community said they were “extremely concerned” to hear of the visit, which follows the murder of two people by a gunman who tried to enter a synagogue in Halle, Germany, and observance of Judaism's holiest day, Yom Kippur, this week.

She said: “Anti-Semitism is very real and we want to break down barriers and work with other faiths to eradicate all forms of hate crime.

"Having this twice-suspended MP hosted in a local church, apparently free to repeat his so-called defence of anti-Semitism is far from helpful.”

Mr Wagstaff said he did not know what Mr Williamson intended to talk about, but insisted he had a long record of anti-racism activity.

He added: “Anti-Semitism has been blown up completely out of proportion.”

Church officials have been asked to comment.



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