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Face of Labour election campaign leaflet is suspended for alleged antisemitism
The JC understands Kierin Offlands, who once called Israeli soldiers 'Zio Nazis', is suspended pending investigation
November 20, 2019 10:25
The JC understands Kierin Offlands, who once called Israeli soldiers 'Zio Nazis', is suspended pending investigation
November 20, 2019 10:25The face of a Labour election campaign poster is a man who is suspended by the party over alleged antisemitism, the JC has learned.
Kierin Offlands was let off with a formal warning by the party last year after he shared a post comparing Israel to Nazi Germany that called Israeli Defence Force soldiers “storm troopers” and “Zio Nazis” while he was a youth officer for Southport Labour Party.
The Sun revealed on Wednesday that Mr Offlands is featured on the cover of a prominent Labour campaign leaflet that has been sent to thousands of households - titled “Real Change for Young Workers”.
But the JC understands that Mr Offlands remains suspended from the party and Labour officials only noticed he was on the material after it had been published.
A Labour spokesperson said: “This leaflet was produced by Labour Unions. Labour Unions use a wide range of images of members and supporters campaigning, and this is not intended as promotion of any individual in the photographs.
"This photograph has been removed from all online materials and no further print runs of the leaflet were ordered.”
In one post from 2015 Mr Offlands said: “Remembering I need to hate Israeli Jews and people who think the State of Israel was/is a good idea”
Another post read: “I hate Zionism. I oppose the State of Israel. It is one of the worst thing’s [sic] ever created. To some extensiveness, Zionism is Nazism.”
In 2018, Euan Philipps, spokesman for Labour Against Antisemitism, which reported Mr Offlands to the party, told the Times: “Jeremy Corbyn claims there is zero tolerance for antisemitism in the Labour Party, but the evidence again and again apparently shows there is plenty of tolerance for racial discrimination against Jews. The Labour Party needs to get a grip on this urgently.”
Baroness Chakrabarti’s report into antisemitism in Labour specifically recommended that party members avoid making comparisons between Israel and the Nazis.
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