Labour councillor Sam Gorst, who branded Jewish MP Luciana Berger a “hideous traitor” and “backstabber” on social media, has responded to the party’s decision to clear him of antisemitism charges by saying he was the victim of a “smear” and that he had been expressing his “ongoing concern of [sic] the heinous crimes of the Israeli government”.
Also under investigation had been Mr Gorst’s defence of Ken Livingstone, whom he said was the subject of an "antisemitism witchhunt", and his decision to share on Twitter someone else's claim that they could not "differentiate between Nazism and Zionism as two criminal regimes”.
Mr Gorst won the Cressington seat on Liverpool City Council by just 70 votes in May.
After Mr Gorst’s victory, and while he was still under investigation, Jeremy Corbyn sent his "warmest congratulations" to the newly elected Labour councillor.
