Fury as top Corbyn ally lavishes praise on conspiracy theorist who claims Syria war crimes were faked
Labour MP Chris Williamson expressed support for Vanessa Beeley, a backer of Syrian tyrant Assad
A TOP Corbynista MP sparked fury today after he praised a notorious conspiracy theorist who backs Syrian dictator Assad.
Chris Williamson attended a talk by "journalist" Vanessa Beeley, who has a track record of
extreme comments about the country's civil war.
Afterwards the hard-left MP said it was a "privilege" to hear her talking about Syria.
Ms Beeley, 53, has run a campaign accusing the White Helmets - civilians who help save the lives of those targeted by Assad's chemical weapons - of being terrorists.
She has frequently expressed support for the dictator and has posed for pictures with him in Damascus.
Among her other views are that the Charlie Hebdo attack was a "false flag", and that the BBC stages "war theatre" in Syria to encourage the West to intervene.
She's also been linked to high-profile anti-Semites and accused Israel of carrying out a "Holocaust" in Palestine.
After meeting her at a festival in Devon yesterday, Mr Williamson wrote on Twitter: "Great to meet @VanessaBeeley today and a privilege to hear her speak at the #BeautifulDays2018 festival about her experiences of reporting from Syria."
Labour activist Denny Taylor said: "Chris Williamson, a Labour MP, saw fit to tweet about how great this awful person is.
"This is just one event in Chris' disgraceful recent past. I can't think of a Labour MP who has set out to be as deliberately offensive since his election."
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And in a message to Mr Williamson, trade unionist Andy Pike added: "Ashamed of you. Engaging with supporters of Assad is a step too far for anyone with an once of humanity."
Mr Williamson, the MP for Derby North, is known for his vocal support of far-left activists.
He is currently in the middle of a "democracy roadshow" which sees him tour the country campaigning for moderate Labour MPs to be kicked out of Parliament.
Palestine ambassador urges Corbyn NOT to toughen up Labour's rules on anti-Semitism
JEREMY Corbyn should refuse to toughen up Labour's rules on anti-Semitism, the Palestinian ambassador said today.
Manuel Hassassian praised the leftie leader for his "principled stand" on the party's code of conduct.
Labour has adopted a controversial new definition of anti-Semitism which differs from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Activists claim the full IHRA definition could limit legitimate criticism of the Israeli government.
Mr Hassassian urged Mr Corbyn to resist pressure to adopt the full definition.
He said: "As Palestinians, we urge him not to give in to the forces which would like to silence legitimate criticism of Israel's racist policies and actions against our people and bury the crimes of Israel's past."
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