News / Labour Party
Bristol Labour councillor suspended for antisemitism
Harriet Bradley has been suspended from the Labour Party over comments she made on social media.
The councillor for Brislington West shared a post by Jewish Voice for Labour on her Facebook page with the words “The right kind of Jews – ie left voters”.
The post shows two men holding signs, one of which says “Jews for Jeremy” and the other “free speech for Palestine”.
is needed now More than ever
A screengrab of the Facebook post that Bradley shared and commented on – which led to her suspension
Bristol mayor Marvin Rees has spoken out to condemn the comments made by Bradley.
He said that her comments “do not at all reflect the views and values of the Labour administration”, which he says has a zero tolerance policy on antisemitism.
Following incidents reported at Tuesday’s Labour rally on College Green, Rees spoke with antisemitism protestors and has invited them back to City Hall to meet with him to discuss their concerns.
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Bradley was suspended in 2016 over posts made on social media.
She was forced to apologise in 2017 over comments she made criticising Rees, in which she claimed he “does not get socialism and has a background in diversity politics”.
The Jewish Voice for Labour post was shared by the Brislington West councillor on November 27 and was later deleted. A Labour spokesman says it was brought to the party’s attention on Tuesday.
Students on College Green on Tuesday protesting against antisemitism in the Labour Party
Bradley’s suspension is the latest incident in the antisemitism scandal that continues to plague the Labour Party just days before the 2019 General Election.
Bradley was running the election campaign for Nicola Bowden-Jones, the Labour candidate for Kingswood.
A party source confirmed she is no longer acting as agent for the parliamentary hopeful.
Responding to Bradley’s suspension in a statement, Rees said: “Councillor Bradley’s comments do not at all reflect the views and values of our Labour administration. We have a zero tolerance policy on antisemitism.
“Bristol is proud to be a diverse city, and we are engaging with all communities to tackle the shocking rise in hate crime in recent years.
“We are working with and listening to Bristol’s Jewish communities to root out antisemitism wherever we find it in our city, party, and society.”
Bradley has been suspended as a member of the Labour Party, pending a full investigation by national party officers, and she has also been turfed out of the Bristol City Council Labour group.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints of antisemitism extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate action is taken.”
Bradley told Bristol24/7 that she is seeking legal advice on her suspension. She was unwilling to comment for this article.
Read more: Labour councillor under fire from anti-racism groups for ‘diversity politics’ comment
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