Exclusive: Labour candidate suspended over ‘ZioNazi storm troopers’ posts
Jewish Labour Movement calls for party to act over council candidate's Facebook post comparing Israel to Nazis
Justin Cohen is the News Editor at the Jewish News
A Labour Party candidate who apparently accused Israel of using chemical weapons and repeatedly referred to “zionazi stormtroopers” has been suspended, Jewish News understands.
The comments were posted on an account in the name of Terry Couchman, the party’s candidate for the Lyneham ward in Wiltshire.
The account suggests Syria’s government isn’t responsible for chemical attacks – insisting it was “fake news put out by the mainstream media, Donald Trump and IsraHell”.
Commenting on an article claiming israel destroyed vegetables along the Gaza border with chemicals, he said: “It is the ZioNazi storm troopers of IsraHell that are using “chemical weapons”. They are continuing their ethnic cleansing by way of other means of poisoning now.”
The account also refers to “fake Jews of IsraHell and the USA” and the “Saudi and Israeli (ZioNazi) cause for Middle East domination.”
The Jewish Labour Movement’s Jeremy Newmark said: “JLM has drawn this matter to the attention of Party officials and expect an immediate investigation followed by swift and firm action should this Facebook profile be genuine.”
Jeremy Corbyn has previously spoken out against using Nazi analogies when talking about Israel.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: The Labour Party is aware of complaints about Terry Couchman.
The Party takes all complaints seriously and will take all appropriate disciplinary action in line with the Party’s rule book and procedures.”
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.
