Cornwall Council has confirmed it has no ongoing anti-Semitism investigations involving any councillor despite growing concerns among current and former Labour Party members in the county over a 'racism crisis'.

The matter has been heightened after imagery featuring swastikas and comments said to be anti-Semitic were shared by members of the Labour Party in Cornwall, it is claimed.

These accusations are being made – and shared – by a Facebook page called Cornwall Anti-Semitism Watch.

The page states it is “dedicated to uncovering anti-Semitism in Cornwall from any quarter and challenging those who minimise it or make excuses for it”.

It has shared posts by members of the Labour Party in Cornwall which it claims are anti-Semitic and racist.

One post talks about the “Zionist billionaire-owned press and media” while another member allegedly shared claims that Palestinian children are being “killed by Israel for their organs”.

There are also references, deemed to be anti-Semitic, to “zionazis” and Holocaust denial on the Facebook page.

We approached Cornwall Council to ascertain if it had received concerns about racism among its members.

A spokesman said: “Cornwall Council can confirm we have not had any complaints of anti-Semitism made about any Cornwall councillor or any town and parish councillor in Cornwall in recent months.”

But one of those particularly concerned by the content of these posts is Councillor Tim Dwelly, former Labour group leader at Cornwall Council.

He left the party in March 2018 stating that he was unable to accept the bullying by the far left in Cornwall.

He said: “When I left Labour a year ago, after 32 years, one of the things that made me decide that this wasn’t the Labour Party as I knew it any more was the anti-Semitism. The bullying by the hard left was bad enough, but this was something sinister. Since I left it has just got worse.

“Some of it really takes your breath away. A common theme is the accusation that anyone who complains about anti-Semitism is making it up. Can you imagine what people would say if Labour members accused black people or any other minority of pretending to feel racially abused?

He added: “It was once unthinkable that Labour would ever be considered institutionally racist, but in my opinion that’s what it has become since the influx of new members supporting Jeremy Corbyn.

“In Cornwall, the silence from local parliamentary candidates and constituency chairs and secretaries who can see the evidence is deafening. A rot has set in.

“This is not just happening in Cornwall of course. But many people will be shocked to see the extent of it here. There is a racism crisis at the heart of Labour in Cornwall and I’m gutted to see no-one lifting a finger to do anything about it.”

Labour Party member of Truro City Council Stuart Roden told Cornwall Live: “My personal experience is that I have not witnessed any anti-Semitism at meetings or in discussion.”

He said he was aware that a formal complaint had been made about one party member, but was unsure what action was taken.

Jude Robinson, Labour member on Falmouth Town Council, told us: “I objected to a post by Cornwall Friends of Palestine which showed an image of Mark Zuckerberg wearing an Israeli uniform and holding a gun. I was told that meant I supported the genocide of Palestinian children.

“There is something out of kilter here – an extreme obsession with Israel married with an obsession with Jeremy Corbyn.”

Speaking about the content on the Facebook page, she added: “If you look at it in focus it’s absolutely dreadful but it’s only coming from a few extreme people. There doesn’t seem to be the motivation at the top of the party and from Corbyn to deal with it.

“Because so many new members are obsessed with Corbyn you can’t speak out about this sort of thing without being accused of attacking him.”

Ms Robinson stressed that the only reason she was staying on as a party member was because “hopefully one day there will be a leadership contest and I can vote for someone more rational”.

Show more

On hearing about the content on the Facebook page and Mr Dwelly's concerns, a Labour Party spokesperson said: "The Labour Party takes all complaints of anti-Semitism extremely seriously and we are committed to challenging and campaigning against it in all its forms.

"All complaints about anti-Semitism are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken."