The Labour Party has received an official complaint about a social media post by Norwich South MP Clive Lewis.

Campaign group Labour Against Antisemitism has accused the MP of breaching the official definition of anti-Semitism with a post he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, about the conflict in Gaza.

In the message, he drew a direct connection between the recent unrest in the UK and Israel's conduct of its war against Hamas.

The group has urged Labour to suspend the MP - who was re-elected as Norwich South MP last month - over the post, which he published on Saturday morning.

Mr Lewis linked to a newspaper article about how dozens of people were reported dead after an Israeli attack on a school in Gaza.

Mr Lewis wrote: "The link between the daily inhumanity being metted [sic] out to Palestinians and rising Islamophobia in the UK, are not unconnected.

"The inhumanity being shown to one is giving ‘permission’ for the other. These actions diminish us all."

 

Labour Against Antisemitism (LASS) made an official complaint to UK Labour, saying the post was "highly irresponsible".

Alex Hearn, LAAS co-director, called for Mr Lewis to be suspended and said: "Jews living thousands of miles away are not responsible for racism by the far-right in Britain."

Mr Lewis declined to comment.

A Labour spokesperson said: “All complaints are treated seriously and thoroughly assessed in line with our rules and procedures.”

However, it is understood no further action will be taken in this case.

Mr Lewis recently attended anti-fascism protests at the Brook Hotel in Bowthorpe and in Norwich city centre, organised in response to riots which broke out in parts of the UK following the killing of three young girls in Southport.

The riots and violence followed false claims spread online that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in Britain by boat.

In 2018, Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) adopted in full an international definition of anti-Semitism, after rows engulfed the party.

Norwich South MP Clive Lewis recently attended an anti-fascism protest at The Brook Hotel in NorwichNorwich South MP Clive Lewis recently attended an anti-fascism protest at The Brook Hotel in Norwich (Image: Bruno Brown)

The NEC incorporated all 11 examples of prejudice against Jews cited by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. One of them is holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.

READ MORE: Extra police as protesters face off in Norwich city centre

At least 80 people died after the Israeli air strike, Palestinian health authorities said.

The Israeli military acknowledged the strike on the Tabeen school on Saturday morning, claiming it hit a Hamas command centre within the school.

Hamas denied having a base at the school.

Other definitions of anti-Semitism, listed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, include applying double standards of Israel by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.