MP’s victory night with Hitler-row Nat
SNP councillor banned over anti-Semitism blog joins in general election celebrations
An SNP councillor banned over anti - Semitism was allowed to join a leading MP’s elec t ion vic tor y celebrations.
Frank Anderson appeared in a photograph with Hannah Bardell behind a YES banner wearing a rosette, despite having been suspended for sharing a blog post that compared a Jewish trade union official with Hitler.
The SNP last night insisted the West Lothian councillor had said sorry over the incident.
It said: “Councillor Anderson apologised for sharing the blog at the time in October 2018, admitting that he hadn’t understood the context and acknowledged his lack of insight on the topic.”
Bardell is understood not to have been aware Anderson was in the election picture. He received a three- month suspension from council duties after a hearing by his party’s ethics watchdog in November.
The sanction came after he shared a controversial blog on the pro-independence Grouse Beater website about GMB
Scotland organiser Rhea Wolfson, who is Jewish.
The piece cited Mein Kampf to claim Wolfson was making the most of Hitler’s fascist ideology. It claimed Hitler had a l leged Jews g radual ly assumed leadership of the trade union movement and it stated: “Whether or not Wolfson is intellectually aware of Hitler’s outlook is unknown but she certainly knows how to make the most of it.”
The SNP suspended and expelled the blog’s Edinburghbased author Gareth Wardell.
After it emerged Anderson had shared the material, the councillor initially defended the article, and maintains he had no idea Wolfson was Jewish.
He said: “I don’t accept that it was an anti-Semitic article, nor was I aware of any of Miss Wolfson’s Jewish heritage.
“The article was, in context, about the self-serving attitude of Labour.” But he was later forced to apologise “unreservedly”. The SNP swept the board in West Lothian on
December 12. Bardell retained her Livingston seat and Martyn Day was also returned as MP for Linlithgow and Falkirk East.
Both saw a substantial increase in their majorities and were photographed with Anderson shortly afterwards.
Another SNP candidate, who was suspended for using antiSemitic language on social media, also won his seat.
Neale Hanvey still appeared on the ballot paper as the national ist candidate for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath because his suspension came too late for the list to be updated.
He is now able to sit as an independent MP unt i l a discipl inar y process is completed.