Anti-Semitism: Shah and Livingstone both wrong

The Labour party are right to have suspended the Bradford MP Naz Shah and the former London Mayor Ken Livingstone for remarks that were anti-Semitic and extremely inflammatory.

The Bradford MP was rightly suspended earlier this week for making remarks such as ‘We must not forget, what Hitler did was legal’, and instead of condemning those remarks today Ken Livingstone poured petrol on an already raging fire by stating that, ‘Well it’s true that Hitler’s regime supported Zionism’. He went on to say that in the 1930’s the Third Reich was in discussions with the Zionist to remove all Jews from Germany. Whilst Livingstone’s explanation might be historically correct any notion that the architect of the Holocaust was a supporter of Zionism is about as inflammatory and insensitive as it gets.

The Labour has acted quickly, but the future of both will now be in the balance.

With the rise of both Islamaphobia and anti-Semitism it's right that we demand a high standard from our elected officials. With this divisive talk it is both the Muslim and Jewish communities who bare the brunt of religious hatred that comes as a consequence of such talk.

Simon Woolley