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No disciplinary action for Labour councillor who shared antisemitic video

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The Labour Party will not discipline a Birmingham councillor who shared an antisemitic video on his Facebook page.

A spokesman said Labour had accepted Zafar Iqbal’s explanation that he had “no idea” how the clip had appeared on his social media.

The video, CNN, Goldman Sachs & the Zio Matrix, was produced by David Duke, a former leader of American white supremacist movement, the Klu Klux Klan.

Mr Iqbal shared the video with a description claiming the clip “reveals how the Zionist Matrix of Power controls Media, Politics and Banking”.

Since sharing it, Mr Iqbal said: “I have no recollection of sharing this video and have no idea how it was shared on my Facebook page.

"I apologise to anyone who was affected by seeing this material."

A Labour Party spokesperson for the West Midlands said: “Councillor Iqbal has apologised, we accept his explanation of what happened and we have reminded him of his responsibilities as a Labour councillor.”

Vice President of the Board of Deputies, Marie van der Zyl, said: "This case continues to raise questions about the robustness of Labour's disciplinary procedures.

"It seems a fairly pathetic excuse that Cllr Iqbal has 'no idea of how it was shared' on his own Facebook page. Perhaps he wants to tell us 'the Zionists did it'?

"Labour has an antisemitism problem and if it keeps letting people get away with it the shame of racism will continue to rot the core of what is supposed to be a proudly progressive party."

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