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Labour suspends three councillors over Israel comments | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Three Labour councillors have been suspended over social media posts about Israel. | |
Nottingham councillor Ilyas Aziz and ex-Blackburn mayor Salim Mulla are both said to have shared a post which suggested the state of Israel should be relocated to the US. | |
Burnley councillor Shah Hussain said he would "fight" his suspension for a tweet sent to an Israeli footballer. | |
Mr Aziz said he did not write the 2014 post, while Mr Mulla has not commented. | |
It comes after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn insisted the party was "united in opposing anti-Semitism". | |
'Disgrace to humanity' | 'Disgrace to humanity' |
The posts were highlighted on the Guido Fawkes website. | |
One, shared from Mr Aziz's account, was a comment stating: "Jews and Muslims lived together in the Middle East, in peace pre 1948. | |
"Perhaps it would have been wiser to create Israel in America it's big enough. They could relocate even now." | "Perhaps it would have been wiser to create Israel in America it's big enough. They could relocate even now." |
The Radford and Park ward councillor's account also features a series of re-posted comments and images criticising Israel. | |
A comment posted with an article about Nazi Germany in 2014, said: "A reminder of the treatment and suffering of Jews in Nazi Germany. ARE THERE ANY SIMILARITIES TO HOW ISRAEL IS TREATING PALESTINIANS." | A comment posted with an article about Nazi Germany in 2014, said: "A reminder of the treatment and suffering of Jews in Nazi Germany. ARE THERE ANY SIMILARITIES TO HOW ISRAEL IS TREATING PALESTINIANS." |
Asked if he had been suggesting Israel should be relocated, Mr Aziz told the Press Association: "I didn't write that." | |
Blackburn with Darwen councillor Mr Mulla reportedly described "Zionist Jews" as a "disgrace to humanity" in a social media post. | |
Mr Hussain, who represents Burnley's Daneshouse with Stoneyholme ward, intervened in a Twitter conversation in 2014 between footballers Joey Barton and Yossi Benayoun over the conflict in Gaza. | |
In a message directed at Benayoun, he wrote: "You are an complete and utter plonker, you and your country doing the same thing that hitler did to ur race in ww2" | |
When approached by the Press Association, Mr Hussain said he would "most definitely" fight the suspension. | |
"If Jewish people find it offensive then I think they need to think about what the rest of the world thinks," he said. | |
'Not about religion' | |
The Guido Fawkes website reported Mr Mulla also shared a message suggesting Israel should be relocated to the US - the same post which led MP Naz Shah to apologise in the Commons and have the whip withdrawn. | |
Mr Aziz said politicians needed to be careful when commenting on the Middle East, but added: "The thing you have got to try and appreciate is that if a particular government - whether it's the Israeli government, whether it's the British government - if the government is actually doing something wrong they should be criticised. | Mr Aziz said politicians needed to be careful when commenting on the Middle East, but added: "The thing you have got to try and appreciate is that if a particular government - whether it's the Israeli government, whether it's the British government - if the government is actually doing something wrong they should be criticised. |
"But not the population itself, it's got nothing to do with them, it's got nothing to do with the religion." | "But not the population itself, it's got nothing to do with them, it's got nothing to do with the religion." |
Mr Corbyn has announced an independent review into anti-Semitism and pledged to tighten party codes of conduct on this and other forms of racism in an attempt to put a lid on the furore. | |
A party spokesman confirmed that all three councillors had been suspended, but made no further comment. |
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