Former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is seen at a Nov. 2021 demonstration in London in solidarity with refugees. Photo: Reuters/Thomas Krych

The leadership of Chile’s Jewish community denounced the presence of former UK Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn at the inauguration of Chile’s new president Gabriel Boric, a staunch anti-Zionist who was elected last year.

Corbyn’s leadership saw the party riven by multiple antisemitism scandals, including several involving Corbyn himself. He resigned as leader after a massive electoral defeat in 2019, and was later suspended after dismissing findings on antisemitism in Labour as part of a conspiracy against him.

On Tuesday, the Comunidad Judía de Chile (CJCH) said in a statement, “We regret the presence of Jeremy Corbyn in our country. We must remember that the former Labour leader was suspended from his party for antisemitic attitudes.”

“We cannot accept that antisemitism is normalized, neither in Chile nor in the world,” it said.

The American Jewish Committee echoed those concerns, tweeting, “We share the concerns of our partners @Comjudiachile over Jeremy Corbyn’s attendance at the inauguration of Chilean President @GabrielBoric.”

“There can be no place in Chile, or any country, for Corbyn and his virulently antisemitic and anti-Israel views,” the AJC asserted.

The election of Boric, an anti-Israel leftist who was elected president in December 2021, has been met with concern by Chilean Jews, especially as he has implicated the community in his attacks on the Jewish state.

In 2019, he tweeted, “The Jewish community of Chile sent me a jar of honey for the Jewish New Year, reaffirming its commitment to ‘a more inclusive, supportive and respectful society.’ I appreciate the gesture, but they could start by asking Israel to return illegally occupied Palestinian territory.”

He has also called Israel a “genocidal and murderous state” and spearheaded parliamentary attempts to boycott Israeli products.

Gerardo Gorodischer, head of the CJCH, commented after Boric’s election that the “Jewish community is not scared, but it is concerned about what the future of Chile’s relationship with Israel may be.”

Gorodischer pointed out that Boric had earlier met with a group of women from the Jewish community who had impressed upon him the difference between the State of Israel and local Jews.

“He listened to them and understood that there is a difference between the Chilean Jews, the Israelis and the government of the day,” Gorodischer said.