A Pro-Palestine group has slammed Walthamstow Trades Hall for pulling a screening of Oh Jeremy Corbyn – The Big Lie. The film claims that allegations of anti-semitism during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership were trumped up for political purposes
By Marco Marcelline
Pro-Palestine activists have slammed a Walthamstow pub’s decision to not show a film which argues anti-semitism allegations made during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party were trumped up for political purposes and part of a “conspiracy” against him.
The Waltham Forest Palestine Solidarity Campaign (WFPSC), had planned to show Oh Jeremy Corbyn – The Big Lie, at Walthamstow Trades Hall on 17th October before the pub cancelled the booking less than two weeks before it was due to happen, citing “controversy”.
The WFPSC said they reached out to Trades Hall to ask if the film was to be shown after seeing the event had been removed from the pub’s website on 3rd October.
In emails to the event organisers that were shared with the Echo, a representative from Trades Hall said: “We have received multiple complaints from members regarding their concerns for this film. We will not be sharing the content of these complaints, as they were made to the club directly, not to you. We are not asking for a response or conversation with you around whether these concerns are valid or who is right or wrong.”
Producer Norman Thomas told the Echo: “It is disgraceful that people in the area are being denied the chance to see this important film. It really is a form of censorship.”
“Any controversy surrounding the film is ill-founded and has been deliberately provoked by malicious parties with the specific intention of deterring venues from screening the film.”
Norman added: “It is totally unfair and unjust that a screening of this important film which has been of such interest to so many should be cancelled on account of the influence of the few and by people who haven’t even seen the film. It is a total contradiction of the spirit of free speech and open debate on which a democracy relies.”
The film was produced by Platform Films, a production company which has made programmes for Channel Four and the BBC.
A petition against the film screening’s cancellation has been signed by over 1,100 people. The petition’s organiser Rada Daniell wrote: “We understand that a number of venues around the country have faced vociferous calls to ban this film, by people who want to prevent discussion of what it has to say about the Labour Party’s handling of antisemitism. We regard such pressure as an unacceptable threat to freedom of speech.”
The petition continues: “The event planned by WFPSC offered us the chance to discuss the film with a panel of speakers including two respected Jewish activists. Cancellation denies us the opportunity to hold the kind of constructive, respectful debate that has occurred at dozens of screenings across the UK over recent months.”
Diana Neslen, a Jewish WFPSC organiser, criticised the cancellation as running in contrast to the principle of free speech. She said: “I wanted to see the film in an environment where there was discussion and debate but now I haven’t got that chance and other people haven’t got that chance.
“As far as I’m concerned the best thing to do is to come and argue their case as to why they don’t like the film. Instead they make anonymous complaints that were not transmitted to us and somehow it deprives the local population of their right to see a film.
“If you have an argument please make it, but banning things doesn’t advance your cause in any way. If people feel confident in their argument they don’t need to censor things.”
Diana told the Echo that the cancellation meant the WFPSC did not have enough time to find an alternative venue to screen the film. She added: “We hope to find another venue that would be happy [to have us].”
The cancelled event was due to feature a post-film panel discussion including Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, a Jewish left-wing activist who was expelled from the Labour Party in December 2022 for associating with groups proscribed by the party. The groups included Labour Against the Witchhunt, and Resist.
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The Big Lie features contributions by Jewish figures including former Momentum vice-chair Jackie Walker and the comedian Alexei Sayle who narrates the film. Other contributors include film director Ken Loach and former Corbyn adviser Andrew Murray.
After premiering at Berlin’s Babylon cinema earlier this year, the film made its UK premiere at London’s Conway Hall in February. It has since been shown in various cinemas and venues around the country.
The Big Lie was due to be screened at Glastonbury Festival in June this year but was pulled after complaints made by Jewish organisations including the CAA.
It had originally been billed to show inside the festival’s cinema tent until Glastonbury Festival stated that a screening of the film was “not appropriate”. Outraged supporters of the film retaliated by unofficially screening the film in the festival’s Shangri-La section.
A copy of a letter sent by the CAA to venues which have screened the film reads: “Screening a film which not only denies that antisemitism in the Labour Party was a serious problem but actively paints a picture of a nefarious campaign being orchestrated against someone who allowed antisemitism to run rampant – to the extent that the Party was found to have broken the law – only serves to alienate Jewish patrons and those who stand against racism.”
The prominent left-wing Jewish commentator Rachel Shabi has described The Big Lie as making “central an argument based on antisemitic conspiracy layered upon conspiracy”. In an op-ed for the i, she wrote that the film portrays Jewish groups within Labour and in Britain as “de facto pro-Israel fronts” who “nefariously exerted outsized power” in “orchestrating the demise” of Corbyn’s leadership.
When contacted the CAA commended Trades Hall’s decision to cancel the screening but did not disclose whether it sent letters of complaint to the pub. A spokesperson for the group said: “Propaganda from antisemitism-deniers has no place being shown at Walthamstow Trades Hall, and we commend the venue on making the right decision. We have written to numerous venues across the country to alert them as to the true nature of this insidious film, and we are pleased to see that many are taking note.”
The spokesperson added that the screening’s cancellation had “little to do with free speech” and that the film “alienates Jewish patrons and those who stand against racism” by actively painting a picture of a “nefarious campaign being orchestrated against someone who allowed antisemitism to run rampant”.
Claire O’Shea, president of the Trades Hall told the Echo that the film screening was cancelled due to a “gap in information” at the time of the booking.
Claire said: “We were contacted by some of our members who raised concerns that there was controversy around the film.”
The Echo asked how many members complained but we did not receive a response.
Waltham Forest Labour told the Echo it was “pleased that the Trades Hall made the decision to not show The Big Lie film.” A spokesperson said: “According to the Jewish Labour Movement and Community Security Trust, the film promotes antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories and therefore would not be appropriate to be shown.
“The Council has declared that there is no space for hate in our borough and urges everyone to commit to making our borough a safe and welcoming place for all.”
Update: This article was updated with comments from the CAA, Waltham Forest Labour and the Trades Hall, and with an excerpt from a new email seen by the Echo.
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