Labour ‘deeply regret’ the selection of hopeful axed for Facebook comments
A SCOTTISH Labour candidate has been suspended by the party over alleged antiSemitic social media posts.
Safia Ali had been due to stand for the party in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, at next month’s General Election, but party bosses took ‘immediate action’ after online comments emerged.
It is understood the posts were from an old Facebook account.
Scottish Labour said they ‘deeply regret’ Miss Ali’s selection, while leader Richard Leonard claimed her suspension does not indicate an anti-Semitism problem within the party.
A party spokesman said: ‘Safia Ali is no longer the Labour Party’s candidate for Falkirk.
‘We have taken immediate action on this matter.
‘We deeply regret that Safia Ali was selected and that Labour members and supporters will not have a Labour candidate to campaign and vote for.’
Asked whether Miss Ali’s suspension indicated an anti-Semitism problem within Labour, Mr Leonard said: ‘No. As soon as the social media posts of the former Labour candidate in Falkirk were shown to us we took swift action and she’s no longer the Labour candidate in Falkirk.’
The posts that led to Miss Ali’s suspension are believed to have been shared on an old Facebook profile belonging to the candidate, which was not vetted during her selection. Her case is expected to be investigated under Labour’s new disciplinary procedures for expelling members.
These were agreed at the party’s conference, and give the National Executive Committee power to expel members within weeks.
Labour came second to the Nationalists’ John McNally at the 2017 election in Falkirk, trailing by 4,923 votes. Despite her suspension by Labour and the withdrawal of the party’s support, it is too late to have Miss Ali’s name removed from the ballot paper.
Scottish Labour’s general secretary Michael Sharpe told the BBC: ‘There is no place for antiSemitism, or any form of racism and bigotry, in our party. That is why Labour is taking robust action to root it out of our movement and wider society.
‘The party has significantly strengthened our procedures, with swift suspensions, new processes for rapid expulsions and an education programme for members.
‘I can confirm that the party has acted immediately and decisively to remove this candidate.’
Meanwhile, Mr Leonard also refused to apologise to Jewish people in Britain after the Chief Rabbi criticised Jeremy Corbyn and the party’s failure to stamp out anti-Semitism.
He said: ‘I’ve been working and other members of the Labour Party in Scotland have been working closely with the Jewish communities of Scotland.
‘We’ve been working with people like Ephraim Borowski from the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities because it’s important that we’ve got a good relationship with them and where there is a deficit of trust we try and rebuild.’
The latest incident comes after a Labour candidate told the Jewish community there are people in the party ready to ‘take over’ as she blasted Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of allegations of anti-Semitism.
Carolann Davidson told a Glasgow Jewish Representative Council election hustings in East Renfrewshire, where she is standing, she was ‘embarrassed’ at how the party had dealt with the scandal.
‘No place for bigotry in party’