Labour candidate in hate posts row
A SHORTLISTED LABOUR candidate for a council seat was due to be reinterviewed by the party selection committee this week after concerns were raised over a series of antisemitic statements she posted on social media.
Nasreen Khan, a former member of George Galloway’s Respect party, was placed on a two-person shortlist for a safe Labour ward in Bradford.
But the emergence of the posts — which included a Facebook message asking: “What have the Jews done good in this world?”, and another claiming that there were “worse people than Hitler in this world” — caused uproar and prompted the party to reassess her candidacy
Ms Khan has
Nasreen Khan apologised for her comments, saying in a statement last week: “I accept fully that it was inappropriate and unacceptable.
“I have travelled a long way since then and learned so much. I profoundly regret the comments I made in 2012 and any offence they caused.” But Rudi Leavor, chairman of Bradford Synagogue, called the comments “odious” and added that in his view, Ms Khan was not a suitable candidate to be a councillor.
“Her comments from a few years ago were inexcusable but she has acknowledged they were wrong,” he said.
Susan Hinchcliffe, the leader of Labour-run Bradford Council said:“No one who has seen these comments from 2012 can fail to be appalled by them. Ms Kahn herself appears to accept this judgement. Such comments have no place in our society.”
A spokesperson from the Labour Against Antisemitism group pointed out that Ms Khan’s comments were in the public domain long before she applied to be a councillor. .
The spokesperson said: “Did Yorkshire and Humber Labour know about Ms Khan before she was shortlisted? Either they knew and did nothing, in which case they have made a horrendous error of judgment, or they didn’t know and are appallingly incompetent.”
Simon Cooke, Bradford Council’s Conservative group leader, said: “The Labour Party really has got to get itself sorted out. These are just not the sort of views that are acceptable.”
Final candidate selection in the Little Horton ward is due to be made today.
Labour has withdrawn its endorsement of Billy J Wells, who was selected to contest a council seat in Great Yarmouth. The party acted after it was revealed that Mr Wells posted social media messages about “Zionists” controlling politics and the media.