Labour suspends council candidate over alleged anti-Semitic remarks
Sameh Habeeb has been dropped for the forthcoming local election in Northwood as the party investigates
Labour has suspended and dropped an election candidate accused of sharing anti-Semitic material.
It has been confirmed that Sameh Habeeb is being investigated by the party and will no longer be up for election in Northwood on May 3.
Habeeb, the founder and editor of the Palestine Telegraph, was criticised for publishing allegedly anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
According to The Daily Telegraph, he “hint[ed] at the well-known canard about Jewish or Zionist media control”, when he said in 2010: “I think you have to ask yourself who controls the media.”
A Labour spokesperson said the party “takes all complaints of anti-Semitism extremely seriously, which are fully investigated and appropriate disciplinary action taken in line with our rules and procedures.
“Anti-Semitism has absolutely no place in the Party, and we are committed to challenging and campaigning against it, in all its forms.”
On Monday, another Labour member and council candidate, Roy Smart, was suspended by the party and dropped for local council elections, after being accused of sharing Holocaust denial.
Last week, Labour leader faced criticism over a backlog of 74 anti-Semitism cases yet to be dealt with. Jewish member of Labour’s National Executive Committee, Rhea Wolfson, vented her “frustration” at the slow pace with which cases have been dealt with.
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