Tony Greenstein

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Tony Greenstein is a British left-wing activist and writer. A former squatter and self-proclaimed anti-fascist, he was a founder member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and stood for parliament as a representative of the Alliance for Green Socialism. In 2018, he was expelled from the Labour Party over accusations of anti-semitism.[1]

Early life[]

Greenstein grew up in Liverpool. He moved to Brighton to study Maths and Chemistry at Brighton Polytechnic and was elected vice-president of the student union. In 1974, he became involved in housing activism alongside Steve Bassam and squatted in derelict hotels before negotiating a licence to live at Lansdowne Place.[2]

In 1980, he was one of the founders of the Brighton Campaign Against Youth Unemployment and he was also involved with anti-fascist campaigns.[2]

Career[]

In 2013, Greenstein was secretary of the Brighton and Hove Unemployed Workers Centre, a community centre in Hollingdean.[3][4] He was a founder member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and in the 1980s, he ran the Labour Movement Campaign for Palestine.[5][6] In 2005, he stood unsuccessfully for parliament in the Brighton Pavilion constituency for the Alliance for Green Socialism, getting 188 votes.[7]

Greenstein was barred from joining the Labour Party in 2015 and then joined after the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader.[8] He was suspended in 2016 regarding accusations of antisemitism and then expelled in February 2018 after a review by Labour's National Constitutional Committee.[9] In 2019, Greenstein sued the Campaign Against Antisemitism for libel over its claim that he was a "notorious antisemite".[10] The High Court dismissed the claim in 2020.[11] Greenstein had previously co-founded Labour Against the Witchhunt and told a Jewish Voice for Labour meeting during the 2018 Labour Party Conference that charges of antisemitism in the UK Labour Party were designed to destabilise Corbyn.[12]

In December 2021 it was reported that he had been given a two-year restraining order, banning him from contacting the Labour Party disputes team.[13]

Selected works[]

  • The Fight Against Fascism in Brighton & the South Coast (2011)
  • Zionism: Antisemitism’s twin in Jewish garb

References[]

  1. ^ https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/labour-activist-tony-greenstein-expelled-from-party-over-antisemitism_uk_5a89ddf7e4b00bc49f4559ec
  2. ^ a b Greenstein, Tony. "40 years on: Memories of student protests, squatting, and street politics". Brighton & Hove Independent. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  3. ^ Garner, Bill (24 March 2013). "The Big Interview: Tony Greenstein". The Argus. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Brighton and Hove Unemployed Workers Centre". Community Base. Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  5. ^ Rosen, Armin (20 February 2018). "Another Labour Party Leader Expelled for Anti-Semitism". Tablet Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  6. ^ Rich, Dave (6 September 2016). The Left's Jewish Problem: Jeremy Corbyn, Israel and Anti-Semitism. Biteback Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-78590-151-5. Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Result: Brighton Pavilion". BBC News. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  8. ^ Spiro, Zachary (2 April 2016). "Labour welcomes back blogger who compares Israelis to Nazis". The Times. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  9. ^ Forrester, Kate (18 February 2018). "Labour Activist Tony Greenstein Expelled From Party Over Antisemitism". HuffPost UK. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  10. ^ Rocker, Simon (15 February 2019). "Definition of antisemitism under the spotlight in anti-Zionist campaigner's libel battle against charity". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  11. ^ Frot, Mathilde (6 November 2020). "Tony Greenstein's 'notorious antisemite' libel claim dismissed by court". . Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  12. ^ Smith, Mikey (24 September 2018). "Labour anti-Semitism is 'witch hunt' to topple Corbyn, expelled activist claims". Mirror. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Tony Greenstein 'handed restraining order'". The Jewish Chronicle. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
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