A LABOUR chief in charge of rooting out anti-Semitism wrote a character reference for an activist who claimed the Jewish holy book said Jesus is “boiling in semen in hell”.
In an extraordinary Facebook post, Mohammed Joynal Uddin claimed the Talmud peddles hate about Jesus and says “the Virgin Mary is a whore”.
Mr Uddin was barred from standing as a Labour council candidate when officials were alerted to the anti-Semitic post in the summer of 2017.
But Thomas Gardiner, Labour’s compliance chief, wrote to the local party giving him a character reference – without finding out why he had been barred, The Sun can reveal.
The email, from September 2017, was sent before he was appointed to the compliance job – but while he was a Labour councillor and long after the anti-Semitism storm erupted.
Mr Gardiner wrote: “I do not know the reasons that have been cited for rejecting Joynal from the panel, but I cannot understand why he would not be approved, given his strong performance as a Labour candidate in the past, and his long and loyal record as record as a Labour Party member.”
‘RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS JUDGEMENT’
A Jewish Labour source told The Sun: “This raises questions about his judgement and his ability to rule on disciplinary cases, and the party’s judgement in employing him.”
The revelation will pile more pressure on Jeremy Corbyn, who has faced accusations Labour has become institutionally anti-Semitic under his watch.
Labour said Mr Gardiner had no knowledge of the Facebook post before he wrote the email, and that he sent it before he got the job tackling the anti-Semitism crisis.
A Labour spokesman said: “Any suggestion that this staff member has acted inappropriately or in any way that could suggest they are not suitable for their role is categorically untrue and defamatory.”
The party said that at the time a large number of activists from Bengali heritage had been blocked from standing as candidates because officials said they did not have enough campaigning experience.
Labour declined to say what, if any, disciplinary action was taken against Mr Uddin after they were alerted to the post.
Meanwhile, another leaked email obtained by The Times yesterday revealed an ally of Mr Corbyn intervened to stop an activist who tweeted a picture of of an alien with the Star of David on its back grasping the Statue of Liberty being kicked out of the party.
