Rachel Riley accuses Jeremy Corbyn of 'giving voice to holocaust denial' in anti-Semitism discussion released after Twitter row with George Galloway

Jacob Jarvis10 January 2019

Rachel Riley delivered her damning verdict on Jeremy Corbyn as she discussed her views on anti-Semitism in a podcast.

The Countdown mathematician discussed the issue with Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy, in an interview shared following her recent expletive-ridden spat with George Galloway.

Ms Riley, 32, explained how she first started thoroughly looking into anti-Semitism in 2018 after seeing a protest outside Parliament.

She said: “I had moments where my jaw was on the floor at the Holocaust denial and all the old-fashioned anti-Semitic tropes.”

After this she began to comment upon the issue on social media, she said she has frequently been targeted with abuse as a result.

She said Jeremy Corbyn had given "a legitimate voice to holocaust denial”.

Mr Corbyn has frequently denied supporting or allowing anti-Semitism within the Labour party.

Rachel Riley called for leadership to stop anti-Semitism growing (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Ms Riley said: “He has shared an event on holocaust memorial day, called Never Again From Auschwitz to Gaza.

“He has shared platforms with terrorists.

“The debate about who’s a terrorist comes up but they’re classified as a terrorist by the US by the UK by the EU.

“He’s sharing platforms with these people, he’s giving a legitimate voice to holocaust denial.

“Surely you can have compassion and fight for the Palestinian cause without sharing your bed with holocaust deniers and virulent anti-Semites.”

Jeremy Corbyn has frequently rejected the notion he is anti-Semitic or allows it in his party
Mario Cruz/EPA

Later in the interview, she called for “leadership” to stop anti-Semitism and once again criticised the Labour leader.

“It needs to stop and it needs leadership to stop it.

“If people are doing this in the name of Jeremy Corbyn, he needs to stop it.

“Personally I don’t think he has enough credibility in the Jewish community any more to draw this back. But somebody needs to take responsibility for this."

Ms Riley affirmed she was not raising the issue to bring down Jeremy Corbyn" or to "bring down Labour", but simply feels the problem needs raising.

Rachel Riley said the amount of abuse she has seen online has made her "jaw drop"
John Phillips/Getty Images

She then commented on “amazing people” in projects trying to combat anti-Semitism.

“I want people to be louder,” she said when asked what she would like to see happen with anti-Semitism. “If you see something call it out,” she said. “I want a light shone on it.”

Describing the criticism she receives when making comments on the issue, she said: “It’s a very sad state of affairs that you have to be brave to call out anti-Semitism.”

The “vitriol” she has received at points has “shocked” her while she claimed some abusers even taught her new slurs with their expansive abuse.

George Galloway and Rachel Riley clashed over anti-Semitism (Photo: Chris Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
Getty Images

In regards to the specifics of the issue, she spoke of seeing posters stating “Israel is a racist endeavour” and how these offended her, defending the notion of a safe country for the Jewish community.

She also critiqued people for insulting Zionism but not seeing the “true meaning” of the word, stating that more education is needed for people to understand the complex issues.

She stated that people can have problems with Israel without being anti-Semitic but that sometimes the argument becomes muddled.

“I won’t be silenced just because I’m being abused,” she told Mr Guru-Murthy, before expanding on how she was sent pictures of children at concentration camps when insulting her.

“Any more of anti-Semitism or any form of racism is wrong.

“I hope this will be shut down.”

On Wednesday, Ms Riley wrote a four-letter blast directed at George Galloway after he attacked her on Twitter for criticising alleged anti-Semitism in the Labour party.

The 32-year-old also accused the former Labour MP of being “anti-Semite scum”, telling him to “f***off."

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