Council heckling sparks anti-Semitism row

Allegations of hate speech and the arrest of three protesters at the last meeting of Newham Council has ignited a furious row over the rise of anti-Semitism, reports Aidan White

Allegations of hate speech and the arrest of three protesters at the last meeting of Newham Council has ignited a furious row over the rise of anti-Semitism in the Borough. 

The meeting at Stratford Town Hall on 29 February was held in a tense atmosphere as councillors met to agree on the Council budget for the coming year, including controversial cuts in some services. 

A group of protesters, said to be supporters of the Independent Group of opposition councillors, loudly voiced disagreement over some of the plans. The meeting had to be halted for a short time after loud boos and hissing came from the public gallery when Joshua Garfield, Newham’s only Jewish councillor, rose to speak about the budget. 

The Council chair Rohima Rahman suspended the meeting while the public gallery was cleared and when the meeting resumed Cllr Garfield returned to the microphone. 

He said: “Robust debate is something I and my colleagues in Labour always welcome, but I’ve spent four years as the only Jewish member of this Council and 18 months as the only Jewish member of cabinet. It will take a lot more to bully me out of public life.” 

Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, announcing that the incident had been reported to the police, issued a strong statement pledging to fight back against anti-Semitism. “Freedom is the cornerstone of democracy and here in Newham we will defend it at all costs,” she said, “but not at the expense of turning a blind eye to hate.” 

Later police arrested three people who were present at the meeting on suspicion of hate crime. This action has led to an online petition in protest, supported by members of the Newham Independent Councillors group which has three members on the Council. 

The petition, which had more than 400 signatures as Newham Voices went to press, calls for the threat of prosecution to be lifted and criticised the Mayor’s statement as “prejudicial”. 

In her statement, the Mayor said the hissing noises as Councillor Garfield got up to speak were “a dehumanising trope”. She said that across the ages, tropes like the use of snakes have been used.

“The Nazis commonly used it in the run up to and during the Second World War; and it remains a frequently used trope against Jewish people in these troubling times.” 

The Mayor pledged to challenge anti-Semitism. “We won’t shy away from tackling it head on,” she said announcing a review of the safety measures to protect councillors in their work. “We will continue to support local councillors who are facing hateful and intimidatory abuse,” she said. 

Josh Garfield told Newham Voices: “I’ve represented Stratford for six years and lived in Newham my whole life. I stood up to them [the protesters] and I will continue to stand up to all those who seek to divide our communities while continuing to work hard for everybody in our Borough as a proud Jew in public office.” 

Last October, Cllr Garfield resigned from his Cabinet position because, according to his leaked letter at the time, he was opposed to the Council’s resolution on the Israeli/Gaza conflict, which he said went against Labour Party policy that discouraged Council statements on the conflict.

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