Jewish woman investigated for antisemitism by UK’s Labour Party threatens to sue
Diana Neslen, 82, has been investigated for antisemitism three times in as many years
She believes she is being discriminated against for her anti-Zionist views
Updated 21 December 2021
Arab News
LONDON: A British Jewish woman who fell foul of the UK’s Labour Party over her anti-Zionist views is threatening to take legal action against the party.
Diana Neslen, 82, believes that the party unlawfully discriminated against her on the basis of her stance.
She is now being investigated by the party for the third time in three years.
A practicing Jew, Neslen has been accused of antisemitism for critical tweets posted about Israel and Zionism.
Her lawyers have sent a pre-action letter to the Labour Party arguing that its investigation into her is unjustified and disproportionate, as it rests on a single tweet from 2017 which said: “The existence of the state of Israel is a racist endeavour and I am an antiracist Jew.”
They claim anti-Zionism is a protected philosophical belief in UK law, and that Neslen has been “subjected by the party to discrimination and harassment related to her protected philosophical belief.”
She told The Guardian: “I remember thinking at the end of the war, ‘Why didn’t the Germans do anything?’ When there’s injustice done in your name you cannot close your eyes to it. That’s why I feel very strongly.
“The Labour party has no idea in my opinion of what antisemitism is. My son was attacked by a luminary of the BNP (British National party) who was jailed for three years. I remember picking up the phone and being subjected to death threats from the BNP. People who have never experienced antisemitism have no idea what it means, what it means for a Jew to be found guilty of antisemitism.”
Labour has long faced accusations of systemic antisemitism, and in 2018 the party adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, which includes as an example: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, eg by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavour.”
The election of Sir Keir Starmer in 2020 brought with it a fresh crackdown on alleged antisemitism within the party’s ranks.
Neslen is a member of the group Jewish Voice for Labour, which says it knows of 42 Jewish members of the party, two of whom have since died, who have faced or are facing disciplinary action relating to allegations of antisemitism. The group estimates that more than five times more Jewish than non-Jewish Labour members have faced actioned complaints of antisemitism.
Neslen has said she will sue Labour if it does not apologize and undertake not to pursue further investigations against her in respect of her beliefs.
Labour has not replied to letters from her lawyers and did not respond to a request for comment from The Guardian.
Bangladesh votes in world’s first Gen Z-inspired election
Ousted PM Hasina’s Awami League party banned
BNP, Jamaat in close race with big economic, geopolitical stakes
Updated 51 min 24 sec ago
AFP
DHAKA: For years under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s opposition had little presence on the streets during elections, either boycotting polls or being sidelined by mass arrests of senior leaders. Now, ahead of Thursday’s vote, the roles have reversed.
Hasina’s Awami League is banned, but many young people who helped oust her government in a 2024 uprising say the upcoming vote will be the Muslim-majority nation’s first competitive election since 2009, when she began a 15-year-rule.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely expected to win, although a coalition led by the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami is putting up a strong challenge. A new party driven by Gen-Z activists under the age of 30 has aligned with Jamaat after failing to translate its anti-Hasina street mobilization into an electoral base.
BNP chief Tarique Rahman told Reuters his party, which is contesting 292 of the 300 parliamentary seats at stake, was confident of winning “enough to form a government.”
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Tarique Rahman speaks during an election campaign rally, ahead of the national election at Pallabi, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on February 8, 2026. (Reuters)
Analysts say a decisive result in the February 12 vote, instead of a fractured outcome, is vital for restoring stability in the nation of 175 million after Hasina’s ouster triggered months of unrest and disrupted major industries, including the garments sector in the world’s second-largest exporter.
The verdict will also affect the roles of rival regional heavyweights China and India in the South Asian nation.
“Opinion polls suggest the BNP has an edge, but we must remember that a significant portion of voters are still undecided,” said Parvez Karim Abbasi, executive director at Dhaka’s Center for Governance Studies.
“Several factors will shape the outcome, including how Generation Z — which makes up about a quarter of the electorate — votes, as their choices will carry considerable weight.”
Across Bangladesh, black-and-white posters and banners bearing the BNP’s “sheaf of paddy” symbol and Jamaat’s “scales” hang from poles and trees and are pasted on roadside walls, alongside those of several independent candidates. Party shacks on street corners, draped in their emblems, blare campaign songs.
It marks a sharp contrast with past elections, when the Awami League’s “boat” symbol dominated the landscape.
Opinion polls expect the once-banned Jamaat, which had opposed Bangladesh’s India-backed 1971 independence from Pakistan, to have its best electoral performance even if it does not win.
China’s influence increases as India’s wanes
The election verdict will also influence the roles of China and India in Bangladesh in coming years, analysts have said. Beijing has increased its standing in Bangladesh since Hasina was seen as pro-India and fled to New Delhi after her ouster, where she remains.
While New Delhi’s influence is on the wane, the BNP is seen by some analysts as being relatively more in tune with India than the Jamaat.
A Jamaat-led government might tilt closer to Pakistan, a fellow Muslim-majority nation and a long-standing rival of Hindu-majority India, analysts say. Also, Jamaat’s Gen-Z ally has said “New Delhi’s hegemony” in Bangladesh is one of its main concerns and its leaders met Chinese diplomats recently.
Jamaat, which calls for a society governed by Islamic principles, has said the party is not inclined toward any country.
BNP’s Rahman has said if his party formed the government it would have friendly relations with any nation that “offers what is suitable for my people and my country.”
Bangladesh, one of the world’s most densely populated countries with high rates of extreme poverty, has been hit by high inflation, weakening reserves and slowing investment, which has pushed it to seek large-scale external financing since 2022, including billions of dollars from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Tarique Rahman attends an election campaign rally, ahead of the national election at Pallabi, in Dhaka
Corruption is the biggest concern among the 128 million voters, followed by inflation, according to a survey by Dhaka-based think tanks Communication & Research Foundation and Bangladesh Election and Public Opinion Studies.
Analysts say Jamaat’s clean image is a factor in its favor, much more than its Islamic leanings.
“Voters report high intention to participate, prioritize corruption and economic concerns over religious or symbolic issues, and express clear expectations for leaders who demonstrate care, competence and accountability,” said the survey.
Nevertheless, BNP’s Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is seen as the frontrunner to lead the next government. But if the Jamaat-led coalition emerges ahead, its chair, Shafiqur Rahman, could be in line for the top job.
Mohammad Rakib, 21, who is set to vote for the first time, said he hoped the next government would allow people to express their views and exercise their franchise freely.
“Everyone was tired of (Hasina’s) Awami League. People couldn’t even vote during national elections. People had no voice,” he said. “I hope the next government, whoever comes into power, will ensure this freedom of expression.”
