Supporters of UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have used Twitter to attack his deputy Tom Watson for warning Labour faces a “vortex of eternal shame” over its inability to tackle virulent anti-Semitism in its ranks.

Mr. Watson called on Mr Corbyn on Sunday to adopt the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-semitism, a move resisted by the party’s national executive, in an interview with the Observer.

In response, thousands of Twitter users mounted a #ResignWatson campaign aimed at Mr. Watson, berating him for standing up to the party leader.

It sometimes feels like people have been calling for me to stand down from day one but I never, ever thought I’d be facing demands to #resignwatson for standing up for people who are facing prejudice and hate. — Tom Watson (@tom_watson) August 5, 2018

His opponents said that the party need a deputy leader that will support Mr. Corbyn, and not ‘stab him in the back’. their hashtag quickly moved to the top of Twitter’s list:

I am struggling. I am trying to find something positive to say about Tom Watson’s time as deputy. I accept he did good work on Leveson. But can anyone point me to anything else he has done, since 2015, that pushes our movement forward towards winning the next GE? #ResignWatson — CrémantCommunarde (@0Calamity) August 5, 2018

I really don’t see Tom Watson as a socialist leader or MP. The party needs a deputy leader with socialist views, one that can support Jeremy Corbyn in becoming a Prime Minister and most importantly one that will not back stab him. Tom has to go, his time is up. #ResignWatson — Nadeem Ahmed (@Muqadaam) August 5, 2018

We simply cannot afford to have a deputy leader who jeopardises our movement at every chance he gets because we need a Corbyn government now that will end austerity and improve the lives of millions of people. We can’t have a deputy who sides with the Tories. #ResignWatson — Hasan Patel (@CorbynistaTeen) August 5, 2018

Can you imagine what last year’s election might have been like if Jeremy didn’t have people backstabbing him at senior level, like Tom for example? We’d be in power by now! Yet we’re being held back & millions are suffering as a consequence. For heavens sake, #ResignWatson. pic.twitter.com/AbifSnR7Sh — Jordan. #JC9 (@Jordan_SP1) August 5, 2018

What exactly have you done over the last 3 years Tom? You’re literally the only Labour front bencher who has never said anything noteworthy on Labour Policy in all that time. We want someone who is working hard for us, not a schemer plotting the next chicken coup. #ResignWatson pic.twitter.com/r8EOcBY84o — Damo #JC9, yes 9 (@Cornish_Damo) August 5, 2018

David Miliband, a former Labour foreign secretary, was one of the few who stepped forward to offer his support. He wished his thanks to Mr Watson for “recognising the gravity of Labour’s situation.”

Thank you ⁦@Tom_watson⁩ for recognizing the gravity of Labour’s situation. Power reveals. In this case it has revealed myopia and sectarianism at the top, betraying Labour’s history and failing the needs of the country. https://t.co/E4o4tRoGFD — David Miliband (@DMiliband) August 5, 2018

Mr. Watson also told Sunday’s Observer that the far-left Labour leader should drop investigations into Jewish MPs Dame Margaret Hodge and Ian Austin who clashed with party officials over the National Executive Committee’s decision to adopt a watered-down definition of anti-Semitism.