Saiqa Ali, who was suspended by the Green Party ahead of the local elections after a string of “openly antisemitic” social media posts, was elected to Lambeth Council this week.
In November 2024, Ali posted an image on Instagram with Donald Trump depicted as Uncle Sam with a Magen David on his hat, with the caption: “I want you to die for Israel. Because I’m owned by Jews”.
Among her other social media posts – which have now been deleted – was one that called Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer a “Jewish Zionist” within an English government “over-represented with Zionists Jews [sic]… [who] care more for Israel than England”.
Another featured a cartoon of a Jewish man, reading: “Don’t you know the rules? We went through the Holocaust, and now we get to kill everyone, forever!!”
She also posted that “the Israeli survivors of the Holocaust are systematically repeating the sins of the Nazis. Mass starvation is cheaper than gas chambers, but no less evil.”
And she shared an image of the world in the stranglehold of a snake emblazoned with the Israeli flag, alongside the caption: “It’s time to cut the head of this snake. #FreePalestine”.
In a statement on their website about Ali, the Lambeth Green Party said that it “opposes all forms of racism as one of our core principles, including antisemitism and any threat to the Jewish community”.
It continued: “Green Party candidate Saiqa Ali has been the subject of an article in the media, which cited historic social media posts. The quoted social media posts do not reflect the Green Party’s values and we condemn them fully. Saiqa Ali has been suspended pending investigation.
“Electoral law requirements mean she will still appear as a candidate on the ballot paper.”
As a result, despite her suspension, Ali is still counted as a Green councillor on Streatham Council’s website after she received the third-most votes in Streatham St Leonard’s ward, behind two other Green candidates.
Several members of Lambeth council, including Claire Holland, leader of the council’s Labour group, also raised concerns about Ali’s “openly expressed antisemitic views”.
“It is reported that the only action you have taken since the article was published has been to make Saiqa Ali's Instagram private,” she said.
Donna Harris, leader of the council’s Lib Dem group, concurred: “Allegations of antisemitism and support for a proscribed terrorist organisation are extremely serious and cannot be ignored”, she said.
Ali responded by saying: “I apologise for any offence or distress caused to anyone by my social media posts. That was not my intention.
“I unequivocally reject antisemitism in all its forms. My comments were rooted in concern for the humanitarian situation in the Middle East, and I remain committed to speaking with care, responsibility and respect for everyone.”
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