Hussain responded: “You are the hate monger who is making the far right emboldened to do such heinous crimes. Some of the blame lays at your door step [sic] as its people like you who are creating more division in this country. You are a hypocrite not a patriot.”
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The attack was carried out by Jihad al-Shamie, a British citizen whose father arrived in the country from Syria.
Rabbi Walker, the rabbi of Heaton Park, would later reveal that he witnessed al-Shamie shout “They are killing our kids” during the attack.
He told a conference in Krakow last year: “There has to be some tackling of the source of this, someone didn't wake up one morning and decide to go attack my synagogue and kill my friends. He was he was born in an atmosphere of hate, and we have to find ways of challenging that,” Walker said.
“We have to acknowledge that the root of that hate is definitely in the demonisation of Israel.”
Hussain also criticised the prime minister’s message urging people to reconsider attending pro-Palestine demonstrations in the weekend following the Manchester terror attack.
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“I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain. It is a time to stand together,” Sir Keir Starmer said on X.
Hussain replied: “You didn’t call for the same unity when thousands of children have been massacred, you also continue to ignore the rise in Islamophobia like the previous government”.
In a since-deleted post he accused far-right activist Tommy Robinson of being paid by Israel and shared a video accusing Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being a “son of a b**ch”.
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The Tory candidate had previously been suspended by the party and condemned by the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) for social media posts in 2021 which said that Jewish people living in Israel are not “true Jews” and that Israel is part of a “Zionist trilogy” alongside America and Saudi Arabia which “breed terrorists”.
He apologised for his remarks and subsequently readmitted to the party.
The Conservative Party were urged to act against Hussain.
A spokesperson for the JLC told the JC: “It is astonishing that someone who has repeatedly indulged in rhetoric including use of the word ‘zio’, which is widely regarded to be antisemitic, has been allowed to stand again as a Conservative candidate in this year’s local elections.
They added: “Cllr Hussain will, regrettably, appear on the ballot on May 7, but the Conservatives must urgently investigate and explain how this was allowed to happen.”
A spokesperson for Reform UK was also critical, saying: “It beggars belief that the Conservatives have not only re-selected someone they previously suspended for horrific antisemitic comments, but has since continued with his tirade of offensive remarks and conspiracy theories on social media. This raises serious questions about the Conservative Party’s vetting process.”
Although he will still appear on the ballot as a Conservative candidate, the party was withdrawing formal support for Hussain.
A party spokesperson told the JC: "These apparent comments are wholly unacceptable, and this individual has been suspended from the Conservative Party pending an investigation.
They continued: “Whilst this process is rightfully confidential, the party has withdrawn support from their campaign with immediate effect.”
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