The secretary of a Labour Marxists group has been suspended from his job with Hammersmith and Fulham council after being filmed claiming Zionists “collaborated” with the Nazis.
Stan Keable was videoed at last week’s Parliament Square demonstration calling for action on antisemitism in Labour arguing with a demonstrator about the background behind the Nazi Holocaust.
Mr Keable – who was expelled from the Labour Party last autumn over his membership of another group and who also works for the UNISON union – had joined the counter-demonstration organised by the Jewish Voice For Labour group, when his filmed in a clip later shared on Twitter by BBC Newsnight editor David Grossman.
In the debate with a protestor Mr Keable said: “I don’t think antisemitism caused the holocaust, no. The Nazis used anti-Semitism …”
He was then interrupted by a shocked male who asked if he was really suggesting that the holocaust was not antisemitic.
Mr Keable says: No, I’m not saying that. Of course the Holocaust was anti-Semitic. The problem I’ve got is that the Zionist movement at the time collaborated with them.
“They accepted the ideas that Jews are not acceptable here.”
Anti semitism didn't cause the Holocaust and Zionists collaborated with the Nazis pic.twitter.com/ZgdwB4Qolt
— David Grossman (@davidgrossman) March 26, 2018
The comments were widely shared on social media following the Westminster protests.
And on Tuesday a Hammersmith and Fulham council spokesperson confirmed Mr Keable, whose job includes inspecting private landlord properties, was suspended while an investigation was carried out and that it “does not tolerate antisemitism.”
Conservative MP for Chelsea and Fulham, Greg Hands, said: “I am shocked someone expressing hateful opinions could have a job meeting vulnerable tenants.”
At the party’s Brighton Conference the group circulated a notorious anti-Zionist article written by Moshe Machover, who was himself suspended but then reinstated to the Labour Party following an investigation into his political affiliations.
Mr Keable said on Tuesday: “I am sorry for any offence I may have caused. But the Nazi regime and Zionist Federation of Germany collaborated through the Haavara agreement in the emigration of some 60, 000 Jews to Palestine between 1933 and 1939.”