The right is carrying out a witch-hunt against Bristol school workers who protested against Labour MP Damien Egan visiting. He is vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel — a right wing group that backs Israel’s genocide.
The Ofsted inspectorate launched a snap inspection of Bristol Brunel Academy after smears of antisemitism were put against the local NEU union branch.
It is a vicious attempt to undermine the right to protest, using the strategy of conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism.
Last September, a headteacher at the school told a union rep that Egan was going to visit. The union rep then raised it with the NEU branch secretary for Cabot Learning Federation, the multi-academy trust that runs Bristol Brunel Academy.
At that point, union members decided that on the day of the visit they would wear keffiyehs, watermelon badges and other shows of Palestinian solidarity. Locals then decided to organise a protest against Egan’s visit.
A letter written by constituents, seen by Socialist Worker, highlighting Egan’s links to the genocidal state of Israel was sent around.
NEU members informed the headteacher that this community action would be taking place, who then decided to postpone Egan’s visit.
Bristol NEU put out a statement at the time that described it as a “victory for education workers, parents and the community”. “This is a clear message — politicians who openly support Israel’s genocidal support on Gaza are not welcome in our schools,” it said.
“Egan is vice chair of Labour Friends of Israel and has visited since Israel’s genocidal onslaught on Gaza began, demonstrating his support.”
The media has jumped on the story after Labour communities secretary Steve Reed spoke at the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) conference on Sunday. JLM is a Zionist organisation, not a group for all Jewish members of Labour.
Reed said, “I have a colleague who is Jewish, who has been banned from visiting a school — refused permission to visit a school in his own constituency — in case his presence inflames the teachers. It’s an absolute outrage that that could have possibly ever happened.”
Then came a flurry of attacks from the right wing press, with articles in the Daily Mail, the Times the Jewish Chronicle attacking the NEU branch.
Keir Starmer has joined in, saying, “We cannot have a society where intolerance is accepted as practice.”
Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign slammed Starmer’s smears as “an abuse of power intended to intimidate”.
Jon Reddiford, an NEU national executive member and teacher in north Somerset, told Socialist Worker that Ofsted inspectors were at the school on Thursday and Friday. Ofsted could potentially put the school into special measures — a category for used to punish schools.
It is “highly unusual,” he said. “It is a highly political inspection and shows the true nature of Ofsted.
“I think the attacks are happening because the NEU flexed its muscles. Egan is an MP who was parachuted into the seat last year.
“Now it is a chance to batter the NEU with fake charges of antisemitism, a charge that has been used to attack the left for many years.”
He called on the NEU to respond “robustly”. “There is nothing wrong with NEU and local community members protesting against someone supporting a genocidal regime.”
Jon said that “when Egan revisits the school,” education workers should wear expressions of Palestinian solidarity “to register their opposition to his views”.
A motion is being put to the NEU national executive calling on the union to back the local branch and defend the right to protest.
“Union members are very upset in the Bristol area. We need to learn from the Jeremy Corbyn experience, when he was Labour leader, that we can’t waver in the face of smears,” Jon said.
Corbyn came under frequent attacks of antisemitism during his time as leader of the Labour Party. Instead of pushing back, he compromised and conceded, emboldening his critics.
The left should be determined in rejecting any equating of anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Stand in solidarity with the Bristol NEU branch and all those face repression for speaking out over Palestine.
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