Far-right For Britain Movement candidate standing in East Barnet
Alex Merola will seek election in the ward with a sizeable Jewish community and JCoSS school
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
A candidate from the far-right For Britain Movement political party is standing in next month’s by-election in East Barnet.
Alex Merola is representing the party founded by the anti-Islam activist Anne Marie Waters, and whose manifesto calls for a ban on kosher and halal meat practices
JCoSS school is located in the East Barnet ward, which is also home to a sizable Jewish community.
After it was founded in 2018, For Britain Movement leader Waters said the party would “speak to the forgotten people.”
She had previously been a member of UKIP but left after she and her supporters were described as “Nazis and racists” by the party’s former leaders Henry Bolton and Nigel Farage.
Some former BNP figures who are unable to join UKIP have headed For Britain meetings, including former councillors and the expelled former election chief Eddy Butler.
In September 2018 writer and political commentator Ingrid Carlqvist who has been accused of Holocaust denialspoke at For Britain’s conference.
The East Barnet ballot is taking place after Labour’s Cllr Jo Cooper stepped down as East Barnet ward councillor due to work commitments in the NHS
It will be held on Thursday, May 6 – the same day as the Mayor of London and London Assembly elections.
The Conservatives, Greens, Labour and the Liberal Democrats are all fielding candidates.
Jewish News approached Merola for comment.
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.
