Labour’s shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon has said he regrets saying Zionism is an “enemy of peace”.
The Labour MP was confronted about the comments in an interview on the BBC in March 2018. He denied he made the remarks.
However, footage from 2014 has been unearthed showing Burgon making the comments. In the video, Burgon says: “The enemy of the Palestinian people is not the Jewish people. The enemy of the Palestinian people are Zionists, and Zionism is the enemy of peace and the enemy of the Palestinian people.”
Responding to the 2014 video, Burgon said: “The terminology has different meanings to different people and the simplistic language used does not reflect how I now think about this complex issue and I would not use it again today.”
Labour Friends of Israel director Jennifer Gerber said: “Now that we’ve all seen exactly what he said, it’s time for Mr Burgon to apologise both for this slur on the Jewish people’s right to self-determination and for seemingly misleading the public about it”.
Vice-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews Amanda Bowman said Burgon should “apologise for his comments and for his denial of them.”
