This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The Labour MP, Chris Williamson, faces a dressing-down from party officials after he helped to arrange a screening in parliament of a film defending Jackie Walker, the activist suspended from the party over comments about antisemitism.

A Labour spokeswoman said it was “completely inappropriate” for the Derby North MP to have booked a room in parliament next Monday for a screening of the film, entitled Witch Hunt.

Labour’s chief whip, Nick Brown, and the party’s general secretary, Jennie Formby, are to contact Williamson to stress their displeasure at his actions and ensure he cancels the booking.

Luciana Berger, the Jewish MP who quit Labour over its handling of anti-semitism, wrote on Twitter of the video: “This is what I have left behind. It’s toxic. Our country deserves so much better. ChangePolitics”.

It comes as footage emerged of Williamson telling a meeting that Labour had been “too apologetic” over antisemitism.

Addressing Sheffield Momentum, Williamson said Labour had been “demonised” over the issue. “I’ve got to say I think our party’s response has been partly responsible for that. Because, in my opinion, we’ve backed off far too much, we’ve given too much ground, we’ve been too apologetic.”

The action by Brown and Formby follows complaints to the party hierarchy from Labour MPs, including the deputy leader, Tom Watson, Lilian Greenwood and Ruth Smeeth.

The screening was to be hosted by Jewish Voice for Labour, a small pro-Corbyn party organisation that rejects the idea that Labour has an issue with antisemitism.

Labour has widespread problem with antisemitism – Momentum founder Read more

Witch Hunt takes a sceptical look at claims that Labour has experienced a problem with some antisemitic behaviour under Corbyn’s leadership, focusing particularly on the case of Walker, who has been suspended from the party for more than two years.

Walker was initially suspended after she wrote about Jewish people as “financiers of the sugar and slave trade”, but was then reinstated. She was suspended again in September 2016 after saying she had not found a definition of antisemitism she could work with, and questioning why Holocaust Memorial Day was not more wide-ranging. She is reportedly facing a party hearing next month.

A Labour spokeswoman said: “It’s completely inappropriate to book a room for an event about an individual who is suspended from the party and subject to ongoing disciplinary procedures. This falls below the standards we expect of MPs.”

Antisemitism was cited as among the reasons for leaving Labour by several MPs who quit the party for the Independent Group last week, among them Luciana Berger and Ian Austin.

Watson tweeted that he had reported his concerns to Brown and Formby. He also said in response to a tweet about Williamson’s “too apologetic” statement: “It’s hard not to conclude that his behaviour is deliberately inflammatory.”

Greenwood said she planned to complain about Williamson, who has previously said accusations of antisemitism in the party were being made “for political ends”. “He seems to be very deliberately sticking two fingers up at the Jewish community and his colleagues,” Greenwood told the Guardian.

Tom Watson says he will personally monitor antisemitism cases Read more

Smeeth told Jewish News, which first reported the planned event, that Williamson was assisting “an organisation that seems more intent on characterising the antisemitism crisis within the party as smears rather than being part of the solution”.

She said: “Giving these people and Jackie Walker a platform at the home of British democracy is a complete and utter disgrace. I’ll be complaining to the leader of the Labour party and the house authorities.”

Williamson told the Guardian that he had only booked the room and was not hosting the event and did not plan to attend the screening.

The maker of the film, Jon Pullman, said it sought to examine the “wider historical context” of accusations about antisemitism on the left and treated the claims against Walker as “mischievous”.

Williamson had booked the room after attending the premiere of the film in east London last week, Pullman added.