During the summer of 2018, numerous members of the Labour Party were accused of anti-Semitic behaviour by their detractors. The controversy reached fever pitch amid claims that the Labour Party had become 'institutionally racist' under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, and that the prospect of a Corbyn-led government posed an 'existential threat' to Jewish life in Britain. Shrouded in confusion, hyped by the media, whether these accusations were true or not got lost in the mix. This book clears the confusion by drawing on deep and original research on public beliefs and media representation of antisemitism and the Labour Party, revealing shocking findings of misinformation spread by the press, including the supposedly impartial BBC, and the liberal Guardian. Bringing in discussions around the IHRA definition, anti-Zionism and Israel/Palestine, as well as including a clear chronology of events, this book is a must for anyone wanting to find out the reality behind the headlines.

Acknowledgements Preface 1. Believe It or Not - Greg Philo and Mike Berry 2. Divisions and Competing Accounts - Greg Philo and Mike Berry 3. What Could Have Been Done and Why It Wasn't, and Will It End? - Greg Philo and Mike Berry 4. Media Coverage of the IHRA Definition and Its Adoption by the Labour Party - Justin Schlosberg 5. Weapons in the Labour Antisemitism Wars? The IHRA Working Definition and the Accusation of 'Institutional Antisemitism' - Antony Lerman 6. 'A' State of Israel or 'The' State of Israel: The Politics of the IHRA Definition - David Miller Conclusion Appendix: Timeline of Events - Mike Berry and Greg Philo Bibliography Index