Second Green councillor criticised after denouncing Israel
A second Green Party councillor has come under fire after calling Israel an “oppressor” in the wake of the Oct 7 terror attacks.
Abdul Malik, who was elected to represent the ward of Ashley in Bristol on Thursday, had previously served as a Liberal Democrat candidate before switching to Labour to endorse Jeremy Corbyn’s policies.
It came as anti-Semitism campaigners said it was “astonishing” the Greens were refusing to suspend Mothin Ali, a councillor who shouted “Allahu Akbar” following his election and said on Oct 7 that Palestinians had the right to “fight back”.
The Greens and independent candidates benefited from a pro-Palestinian stance at Thursday’s local elections, while support for Labour fell among Muslims over Sir Keir Starmer’s initial refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire.
In a Facebook post three days after Hamas terrorists killed around 1,200 Israeli citizens, Mr Malik claimed the massacre was not “a sudden crisis” and Palestinians “have endured oppression for over 75 years”.
“The hypocrisy is evident when we see people sharing Israeli flags instead of demanding a ceasefire after a century of injustice against Palestine. The label of ‘terrorist’ or ‘freedom fighter’ depends on who’s watching,” he said.
“Today, as Palestinians defend their land and dignity, we must not blindly stand with the oppressor.”
Mr Malik said in a separate post the mayor of Bristol had made an “unwelcome” decision to illuminate Bristol City Hall in the blue and white of the Israeli flag to remember those killed.
Meanwhile, the Green Party confirmed it had launched an investigation into Mr Ali but he would not lose his party membership during the process.
The charity Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said: “It is just astonishing that the Greens would select someone like Mothin Ali and campaign for him and now not only apparently decline to expel him but even celebrate his victory and defend him.
“It is as if the Equality and Human Rights Commission report into anti-Semitism in our politics never happened. The Green Party may care about our planet, but there is increasingly little evidence that they care about the Jews who also live on it.”
A Government frontbencher said: “The Green Party is on a well-trodden path. The Labour Party has been riding a sectarian tiger for decades.
“The tiger is starting to buck. This is a lose-lose game for everyone, and it’s going to end very badly.”
A report by the EHRC in 2019 ruled Labour broke the law by failing to prevent “acts of harassment and discrimination”, and found Mr Corbyn’s leadership “did not do enough” to prevent anti-Semitism.
Mr Ali claimed at a pro-Palestinian march that Israel had “control” of the mainstream media, while recording himself chanting “from the river to the sea” at a separate demonstration.
In a video posted to his TikTok account, the 42-year-old told fellow activists: “We’ve just seen the propaganda completely fail by the IDF [Israel Defense Forces].
“Their lies are being exposed. Our social media power is absolutely immense. They control the mainstream media but every single one of us here controls the narrative.”
Mr Ali posted a second clip in which he shouted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” while filming fellow protesters.
The slogan originally called for a secular state in historic Palestine but can also be interpreted as a call for the destruction of Israel. It has also been used by groups including Hamas to call for Jews to be driven out of the region and for ethnic cleansing and genocide.
‘White supremacism’
And in a clip recorded on the day after the Oct 7 attacks, he said: “This didn’t start yesterday, this started 75 years ago when the land of Palestine was invaded, the indigenous population was driven out…
“It is white supremacism, it is nothing short of a European settler-colonialist state… When they fight back, all of a sudden the European media is up in arms.”
Mr Ali has been highly critical of Sir Keir, who he called an “extreme Zionist”, while also labelling Suella Braverman an “evil witch” after she criticised pro-Palestinian marches.
Candidates running on a pro-Gaza ticket defeated their Labour opponents across at least 12 councils last week.
Kaleel Khan, an independent who ousted a veteran Labour councillor in Thameside, Manchester, wrote on his campaign website: “The Labour Party’s failure to declare the Israeli actions in Gaza a potential genocide is a disgrace.”
Blackburn Independents used Palestine flag
Meanwhile seven out of nine candidates belonging to the Blackburn Independents, a group which used the Palestinian flags, were elected to Blackburn with Darwen Council after describing their aims as “advocating for justice and addressing the gaps left by mainstream politics regarding the Palestinian cause”.
The Green Party, Mr Ali and Mr Malik were contacted for comment.
Mr Malik has previously told the BBC he completely condemned the Oct 7 attacks on Israel.
Mr Ali has previously said: “I have received hundreds of death threats from those on the far-Right and supporters of what the Israeli government is doing, many of which have been reported to the police.
“I understand very well the emotional turmoil threats of violence can have and would not wish that on others... The video in question has absolutely nothing to do with violence.”
