British Labour Official Quits Over Backing For Holocaust Denier
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
(JTA) — A British Labour Party leader has resigned after she called for the reinstatement of a City Council candidate accused of Holocaust denial.
Christine Shawcroft, the chairwoman of the party’s disputes panel, said in a statement announcing her resignation that she was “wrong and misguided” when she sent an email calling for Peterborough City Council candidate Alan Bull to be reinstated. Bull had been suspended from the party last week. Peterborough, a city of nearly 200,000, is located in eastern England about 75 miles from London.
Bull posted an article on Facebook that called the Holocaust a “hoax” but told the BBC he did not agree with the content. He also has claimed that his alleged anti-Semitic posts are doctored screenshots.
“I sent this email before being aware of the full information about this case and I had not been shown the image of his abhorrent Facebook post,” Shawcroft wrote. “Had I seen this image, I would not have requested that the decision to suspend him be re-considered. I am deeply sorry for having done so.”
Labour Party head Jeremy Corbyn has come under fire this week from the Jewish community, which accused him of “again and again” siding with anti-Semites.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
