Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joins Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, reigniting outrage over antisemitism, anti-Israel rhetoric, and extremist political alliances.
Disgraced former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, long condemned for enabling antisemitism and embracing extremist movements, reentered the global political spotlight Sunday — hosting a fundraising phone bank for New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist known for his anti-Israel positions.
The New York Post revealed that the event was organized by the Democratic Socialists of America’s NYC branch, with Corbyn writing on Facebook:
“Let’s get Zohran over the finish line for a New York that’s affordable for all!”
But what followed was a firestorm of outrage — across Jewish and mainstream political circles alike.
Corbyn’s participation drew immediate condemnation given his notorious record. During his tenure as Labour leader (2015–2020), Corbyn referred to Hamas and Hezbollah as his “friends,” refused to apologize for his statements, and oversaw rampant antisemitism that led to the party’s official censure by Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission. The investigation found multiple instances in which Corbyn’s leadership downplayed or dismissed antisemitic complaints, sometimes even protecting offenders for political convenience.
In 2022, Corbyn was banned from ever running as a Labour candidate, later forming his own fringe party alongside Zarah Sultana, another radical who accuses the UK of “genocide” for selling arms to Israel.
Mamdani — already under fire for his October 8, 2023 anti-Israel remarks just a day after Hamas’s massacre of Israeli civilians — faced renewed scrutiny. He has refused to condemn the slogan “Globalize the Intifada”, rejected the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and vowed to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit New York, citing the ICC’s baseless warrant — even though the U.S. is not a member of the ICC.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, running against Mamdani as an independent, issued a blistering rebuke:
“Having Jeremy Corbyn — someone whose party was found guilty of unlawful discrimination against Jews — phone-banking for Zohran Mamdani says everything you need to know.”
Cuomo added, “New York doesn’t need the politics of hate or hypocrisy. We need leadership that rejects antisemitism, extremism, and division — in every corner.”
Fueling the controversy further, Mamdani’s latest campaign ad shows him speaking Arabic in front of a PLO flag, a provocative choice that critics say symbolizes his open alignment with anti-Israel movements.
Jewish community leaders called the Corbyn–Mamdani alliance “a dangerous normalization of antisemitism disguised as social justice,” warning that extremist politics are finding new oxygen in America’s progressive circles.
