JEREMY Corbyn was engulfed by a new anti-Semitism row over his support for a book claiming Jews controlled banks.
The Labour leader wrote a foreword to the new edition of a 1902 work that spread conspiracy theories about the Rothschild family – describing it as a “great tome”.
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In the original book – ‘Imperialism: A Study’ – JA Hobson said finance was controlled by “men of a single and peculiar race”.
The author – who influenced Lenin – insisted this financial might was in turn behind the imperialism and military policies pursued by Britain and the West.
In his foreword in 2011, Mr Corbyn praised the author’s “brilliant” analysis and said the work was a “great tome”.
He went onto argue that the war on terror at the time was driven by economic interests. Furious critics pointed out Labour activists had been suspended for retweeting conspiracy theories about the Rothschilds – and demanded an apology.
Labour Against Anti-Semitism said the revelation proved Jeremy Corbyn “shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near Downing Street”.
‘DAMNING AND DAMAGING’
It said the foreword was as “damning and damaging” as his support in 2012 for an “offensive” mural that featured anti-Semitic tropes.
Ex-Labour MP Ian Austin said: “This is absolutely appalling.
“Decent people will be sickened to see him describing as “brilliant” a book by someone who pushed deeply and clearly racist theories about Jewish people controlling banks, newspapers, governments and wars to further their financial interests.
“Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership has poisoned the Labour Party.”
Labour insisted Jeremy had praised the “Liberal Hobson’s century-old classic study of imperialism in Africa and Asia”.
But a spokesman claimed: “Jeremy completely rejects the anti-Semitic elements of his analysis.”
The spokesman did not answer why the Labour leader- then a backbencher – had still decided to praise the work.
JA Hobson made anti-Semitic comments in some of his other books.
In a 1900 book about the Boer War, hje blamed a “small group of international financiers, chiefly German in origin and Jewish in race” for the conflict.
He said “the rich and powerful liquor trade… is entirely in the hands of Jews… the stock exchange is needless to say, mostly Jewish … the press of Johannesburg is chiefly their property.”
