Jeremy Corbyn, former head of Britain’s Labour Party who was ousted over his handling of antisemitism complaints, hosted a phone bank fundraiser Sunday for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, reported the New York Post. The event was organized by the Democratic Socialists of America’s NYC branch.
“Let’s get Zohran over the finish line for a New York that’s affordable for all!” Corbyn wrote on Facebook.
The involvement of Corbyn, who served as Labour leader from 2015 to 2020, drew swift criticism due to his controversial record.
Corbyn is notorious for his anti-Israel stance. During his time as Labour leader, Corbyn infamously stirred up controversy by calling Hamas and Hezbollah his "friends". He initially refused to apologize for those comments but later walked them back.
British Jews also voiced deep concern over his disturbing links to a wide range of extremists, spanning far-right Holocaust deniers, an antisemitic Christian minister and Islamist terrorist groups.
Corbyn was suspended from Labour following the publication of a report compiled by the Equality and Human Rights Commission which found numerous cases where the party leadership under Corbyn underplayed, belittled or ignored complaints by Jewish members, and sometimes actively interfered to support political allies.
In November of 2022, Corbyn was permanently banned from running as a candidate for the Labour party. He ran as an independent in the most recent election and later launched a new party together with ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana, who has repeatedly accused the UK government of complicity in what she called “genocide” for supplying arms to Israel.
Mamdani’s opponents condemned the fundraiser as further evidence of his own antisemitism. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is challenging Mamdani as an independent, wrote on X, “Having Jeremy Corbyn - someone whose party was found to have committed unlawful acts of discrimination against Jewish people under his leadership - phone-banking for Zohran Mamdani says everything you need to know.”
“NY doesn’t need politics of moral compromise,” Cuomo added. “We need leadership that rejects antisemitism, extremism, and division in every form and in every corner.”
Mamdani has faced criticism over his own anti-Israel stance. This includes his criticism of Israel on October 8, 2023 - just one day after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel, as well as his refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada”.
He also recently declared that he would stop using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s working definition of antisemitism.
In addition, Mamdani has repeatedly accused Israel of war crimes in its battle against Hamas in Gaza, and has vowed to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York City, citing the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against Netanyahu - even though the US is not a member of the ICC.
On the weekend, Mamdani released a new election ad in which he is seen speaking Arabic in front of a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flag.