Suspended (but quietly reinstated) – the Labour party’s dirty half-dozen
Corbyn says anti-semitism is being tackled, but guilty members are being allowed back in the fold
‘It is all about political pressure. Every meeting has become a battle’
LABOUR has quietly reinstated at least six councillors who posted anti-semitic messages online, analysis shows, as a party insider told The Daily Telegraph that the complaints process is being manipulated by political factions.
Evidence seen by this newspaper shows senior party members were investigated over posts made on social media about “blood libel”, Zionism, linking Israel to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) and the Holocaust and other anti-semitic tropes.
All six were suspended but have since been reinstated, raising questions about the effectiveness of Labour’s process for rooting out racism. It is unclear if any disciplinary action was taken before they were cleared. It came as John Mcdonnell, the shadow chancellor, admitted that Labour had not done enough to tackle the problem and said mechanisms to deal with antisemitism should have been introduced “ages ago”.
Sources have told The Daily Telegraph that Christine Shawcroft, who stepped down as chairman of the disputes panel but not as a member of the committee, tried to have other allies reinstated after they had posted antisemitic messages and had been suspended. She was stopped by other committee members, who raised concerns about her demand they be allowed back in if they undertook “training”. Dame Margaret Beckett is said to have been one of the MPS who opposed the move earlier this year.
But a former member of Labour’s NEC claimed Ms Shawcroft’s behaviour was “not unusual” and that she had a pattern of supporting people without questioning their views.
One of the six, Salim Mulla, is still an active Labour politician and was formerly mayor of Blackburn. He was suspended in May 2016 but reinstated in February 2017 despite posting anti-semitic messages on Facebook. One post accused Israel of being behind Isil attacks in Europe and another was the same post for which Labour MP Naz Shah was suspended, and which she later described as anti-semitic.
Asked about the decision to allow him back into Labour, Mr Mulla said at the time: “My social media posts were solely concerns about the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government and not about the Jewish people as a whole.”
Ilyas Aziz was suspended in May 2016 and allowed back in December the same year. He is a sitting Labour councillor in Nottingham and posted a number of anti-semitic pictures and comments, including talk about Zionism and the Rothschilds.
Shah Hussain was suspended after comparing Israel to Nazi Germany on social media but was reinstated in 2016. He said at the time that his comments were “appropriate” and that he was the victim of a “witch hunt”. Andrew Slack and Luke Cresswell were suspended in 2016 and later allowed back into the party. Both are Labour councillors. Mr Slack said he shared material online by accident. Miqdad Al-nuaimi, a Labour councillor in Newport, was suspended in May 2016 but allowed back just two months later.
A party insider told The Daily Telegraph the disputes panel, which rules on cases of anti-semitism and other wrongdoing, is being railroaded by political factions. The insider said some members of the panel will “defend any form of abuse if the person involved is perceived to be on their side”.
The insider said there was “shock” at a meeting where misogynistic, anti-semitic and threatening behaviour were defended because of political alliances, and added: “It is all about political pressure. Every meeting has become a battle.” Mr Corbyn has said he is committed to tackling anti-semitism within the Labour party.