Green Party yet to clarify status of councillor behind ‘No kind Zionists’ comment
Newly elected councillor for Blackheath, Dr Rebecca Jones, also called on people to ‘burn Zionism to the ground’
The Green Party has yet to respond to requests for clarification over whether one of its newly-elected councillors, an NHS doctor who claimed “I’ve yet to see a Zionist act in kindness or with love and compassion” remains a member of the party.
Dr Rebecca Jones was one of 39 Greens to win a council seat in Lewisham. The party won almost three quarters of seats in the borough, taking control from Labour. The Greens also won the local mayoral election.
Currently working as a registered GP in the borough, Rebecca Jones, who is also a vegan blogger, secured her seat with 1,890 votes – 12% of the ballot – on 7 May.
The Spectator and online investigator GnasherJew recently found she had shared posts that claimed Israel is “using infectious diseases to help their genocidal onslaught” and stating, “They’re burning babies again.”
Posting on her Facebook page, she wrote: “I’ve often said that Zios seem to use doublethink and doublespeak a lot… I’m still amazed by the way they, the media and the colonialists try to make us believe that anti-zionism [is]….extreme. There’s only one side showing hate here, and it’s definitely not from this love-filled, vegan anarchist.’ Elsewhere, she posted: “I’ve yet to see a Zionist act in kindness or with love and compassion”.
“Zios” is a term popularised by the far-right, most notably by the former Imperial Wizard of the Ku KLUX Klan, David Duke. The overwhelming majority of Jews in the UK and worldwide identify as Zionists.
Jones also called on people to ‘burn Zionism to the ground’, described Bob Vylan’s chant at Glastonbury, ‘Death, death to the IDF’’ as ‘amazing’ and posted support for Palestine Action, a proscribed terror organisation in the UK.
As reported by The Spectator, she shared a video of someone reading the purported last will and testament of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who masterminded the 7 October attacks, with the comment: “This is so beautiful. It also reminds me of why the fight for Palestine is so important.’ She also shared a video in which she said: “I can’t be a safe space for anyone excusing Israel’s actions. I’ll never be unsafe for/towards anyone, but I can’t hold space for you if you think that Zionism and the resulting atrocities are ok.’
Many of the social media posts linked to by The Spectator appear to have been subsequently deleted or hidden.
The Green Party, led by Zack Polanski, continues to face scrutiny about the inflammatory views shared by some of its members, candidates and elected officials.
When approached for comment about the Spectator piece, Dr Jones told Jewish News: “It is a matter of record, and basic principle, that just as not all Jews are Zionists, so too anti-Zionism is not antisemitism. Conflating the two serves only to silence legitimate debate.
“I urge caution to Jewish News: you appear to attribute elements of a Spectator piece to my own words, written statements, or online history. Those are not my claims. I ask that you correct the record and distinguish clearly between what another author has argued and what I have actually said.
“As a GMC-registered doctor, my professional and ethical obligations are clear: I do not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic, least of all political belief.”