Brent Council leader to meet communal heads to hear concerns over Nablus twinning
At tense meeting of north-west London council, a Reform UK activist says twinning plan with the West Bank city a 'sectarian' move that has bitterly upset Jewish, Hindu, Sikh locals
Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt has confirmed he will be meeting with Jewish communal leaders later this week to personally hear their concerns over a move by the Labour led council to twin with the West Bank city of Nablus.
But in a move that left some in his own Group furious, Butt tabled an amendment to a Tory motion, later carried at Monday’s full meeting of the Labour dominated north-west London council, which claimed the twinning proposal had “triggered welcome conversation about Brent’s ongoing plan to build new international relationships with cities and towns.”
The unsuccessful Conservative Group motion had attempted to effectively halt the twinning on the grounds that it had proven to be so divisive, and that an initial impact assessment carried out by Brent has warned it could risk “compounding antisemitism” in the borough.
And while the Tory motion had highlighted concerns that Nablus would be unsafe for some Brent residents due to “religion or sexual orientation” this was erased from the amended version.
In an apparent sign of anger at the Labour Group amendment, at least four of the local party’s councillors, including cabinet members Neil Nerva and Shama Tatler, left the chamber as the vote took place.
Speaking at the packed meeting Butt repeated that any twinning arrangement would be “subject to a live and continuous equalities impact assessment” and that “we will ensure petitioners’ concerns are put to the government to address, if not already answered.”
One Labour supporter told Jewish News it was “almost comical” that Butt was speaking of the need for a full and proper equalities impact assessment after the twinning proposal had been given the green-light.
Another senior party figure described their “frustration” with the Labour Group on process around the twinning move.
One Reform UK supporter in the public gallery predicted to Jewish News the twinning move would cost Labour “thousands of votes” at next year’s local elections in certain seats.
Meanwhile, the Reform UK activist behind the No To Nablus Twinning petition, signed by over 2,200 people in Brent has told the meeting that the proposal to partner with the West Bank city was a “sectarian” move that has bitterly upset Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and other communities in the borough.
Ian Collier, a Jewish local resident who contested the Brent West seat at the general election for Nigel Farage’s party, was heckled by pro-Palestine activists as he was allowed five minutes to present his petition at Monday’s full council meeting at Brent Civic Centre, in Wembley.
He said:”I am here to represent a very large group of residents who are utterly opposed and very upset with the decision to twin the borough with the West Bank town of Nablus.”
Collier added:”Nablus is a hotbed of militancy, of hatred, of racism, and terroism. So I say to the sponsor, and the council, no, this borough does not have to share its values.”
Later he said:”This twinning is nothing more than political symbolism, not representative of the majority of Brent residents, and has been generated purely on sectrarian grounds, mostly sectarian by religion.”
A petition launched by Collier secured more signatures over the past month than the original petition in favour of twinning with Nablus, which was promoted by the Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign, had secured.
In comments that were greeted with cries of “shame” from some in the public viewing area, Collier said the names of the No To Nablus petition were “almost entirely European sounding, Jewish sounding, Hindu and Sikh.”
He added:”However there’s one group which is missing, there are hardly any Muslim names on this petition.”
Responding Council leader Butt said he wished to emphasise that Brent was “deeply proud to be home to a vibrant Jewish community” whose roots in the borough could be traced back generations, and claimed twinning with Nablus was not about “endorsing any religious belief or political ideology.”
The Labour Group leader admitted he was “aware of the anxieties raised” by the twinning proposal and confirmed he would be meeting “representatives of Jewish community groups this week to hear those concerns directly.
But he still offered hope to those pushing the twinning initiative saying it will be the “responsibility of the Brent Nablus Twinning Association to prove that the move would have a positive, rather than divisive impact on the local community.
Many in the public gallery turned up for the meeting sporting Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, and were recognisable for PSC demos in the borough.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
