OPINION: Hackney must reject hate – not fuel it

As a Labour councillor in Hackney for many years, I have been proud of our excellent community relations; in fact, when I preside at citizenship ceremonies, I often remark that a lynchpin of being – or becoming – British is ‘live and let live’. We have the third largest Jewish community in the UK, many of course Charedi, and a large number of Muslims. And do you know what? They all get on – and why not?

Hence, it was with utter dismay that we faced a challenge last week to our absolute priority of preserving harmonious community relations at an Extraordinary Meeting of the Council, seemingly called to invite hatred against Israel by the Green Party and three Independent Socialists, demanding the Council divest from any investments its pension fund has in Israeli companies and end our 60-year twinning with Haifa.

That was bad enough; the meeting itself was appalling, conducted in a cauldron of hatred, with one Green councillor literally railing out of control against Israel, accusing the IDF of being a terrorist organisation, on two occasions uttering obscene swear words during his rant, beginning with ‘f’ and ending in ‘ing’.

He did subsequently apologise – but it is no way to conduct yourself in public office. An independent socialist councillor, egged on by supporters in the public gallery, ended her inflammatory speech with a fist pump.

The only occasions I’m aware of that compare to these disgraceful outbursts were meetings in the East End in the 1930s, conducted by Oswald Mosley and his blackshirts. No mention by the Greens or their allies of the 1,187, mainly young people, murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Nova music festival and surrounding kibbutzim and settlements. Not a hint of concern for the hostages, many of whom did not survive.

In order to promote peace and mutual respect between Israelis and Palestinians and, perhaps, move towards a two-state solution, you must not make wild, aggressive speeches that divide communities, promote hate not hope and damage previously harmonious relations, social cohesion and mutual respect we’ve had here for people of all religious backgrounds, cultures and faiths.

Hackney and East London United synagogue wardens (of which I am one) wrote to the newly elected leader of the Greens, Zack Polansky, asking him to rein in his local party and ask them to cancel the meeting. He did not reply. We have now written to him again asking him to take action and discipline two of his councillors, providing a recording of the meeting via YouTube.

The expletives have been cut – you can find the gaps and imagine the venom with which they were expressed.

Zack is a Jewish man from Manchester; it is sad he did not step in to stop this horror show from taking place in the first place. Now he must act. Councillors received dozens of emails from members of the Jewish community and others concerned by the upsurge in antisemitism, condemning the holding of the meeting so soon after the murders on Yom Kippur in Manchester.

Tensions in Israel and the terrible loss of life in Gaza inevitably caused anxiety and concern here. It is up to all of us to avoid stoking the flames of hatred, promoting peace and reconciliation instead.

• Michael Desmond is Hackney’s Speaker and one of the council’s longest-serving Labour representatives