Sultana claims new Corbyn party carrying out 'witch hunt' against activists
Zarah Sultana has accused leading figures in the new party that she co-founded with Jeremy Corbyn of witch hunt
to find a wich hunt
seeking to capture left-wing activists. Sultana canceled the first day of the project's founding conference, which is now known as Your Party, after several members who also belonged to the Socialist Workers Party were evicted. The expulsions were reportedly for violating rules that prohibit members from joining any other political party in the United Kingdom or abroad, according to Party leaders. Sultana's remarks came as Corbyn used his conference address to call for unity, despite the party's extraordinary opportunity
to find "a socialist party of mass appeal.
One of her employees had also been refused a ticket for the conference, she told the BBC. A pass had not been issued by your party's leaders, who denied that the decision had been political motivated. This witch hunt is indefensible,
a Sultana spokesperson said,
AbsolutelyWe must create a party that accepts all socialists.
It's disgusting to see the kind of behaviour we've seen in the Labour Party,answered the BBC when asked if she stood by the assertion that there was a witch hunt.
she said.It's a violent environment we are not trying to imitate here.
Nameless and faceless bureaucratswere
working in the shadowsto oust people
without the membership actually voting on it,Sultana said. Members of other organizations
shouldn't be allowed to choosebetween their membership and
our new party,Sultana said.
a spokesperson for Your party said, and these laws were followed.Members of another national political party pledged their support for Your Party in breach of clearly stated membership rules,
This is politics outside of Westminster's mould: from the ground up, not the top down.We're focusing on staging a democratic founding conference with thousands of citizens coming together to discuss and decide the big questions.
Corbyn said in his address that there had been mistakes
during the party's turbulent beginning, a process that has seen Sultana frequently at odds with party leaders and two MPs resign from the project. Adnan Hussain and Iqbal Mohamedquit were within a week of each other, citing internal tensions. Both Hussain and Mohamed had signed a letter accusing Sultana for failing to transfer an estimated £800,000 of Your Party contributions held by a company she controls before leaving the country. MoU Operations Ltd, which collected the first waves of donations while Your Party was being officially registered, is holding the funds. Sultana has paid £600,000, with the promise that any remaining funds will be paid as soon as possible
as the legal terms are ironed out. Corbyn said on Saturday:
Corbyt said because division and disunity will not represent the people we want to represent.We've got to come together and be united as a party,
He also called forpublic, democratic control
of the water industry, triggered a chant offree, free Palestine
and encouraged party members tocampaign for real socialism and real social justice.
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