Mayor Amanda Grimshaw speaking at Brighton & Hove Council during a motion about divesting from Israel, October 13, 2025[Missing Credit]
In the email exchange between Jewish representatives and the council, the Jewish representatives informed the council that it would be reading the uncensored version on the day.
In defence of censoring the speech ahead of the hearing, the council wrote to the Jewish community that the mayor determines the agenda for the meeting and it followed advice from the Monitoring Officer, who has to take into account “the current significant concerns locally regarding community cohesion and community safety”.
Brighton & Hove Council said the original wording “contained statements which would likely polarise communities at this extremely sensitive time”, and the council’s aim was to “bring communities together”.
Demonstrators outside Hove Town Hall, where a motion was being heard on the council divesting from Israel, October 13, 2025[Missing Credit]
Before and during proceedings at Hove Town Hall, a group of pro-Palestinian activists gathered outside the building, carrying placards and Palestinian flags, chanting and wearing keffiyehs. Jewish speakers had to walk through the crowd to enter the building.
Demonstrators outside Hove Town Hall, where a motion was being heard on the council divesting from Israel, October 13, 2025[Missing Credit]
Jewish community representative Sue Sheftz, who made the speech in the chamber on Monday, told the council that the Labour government’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state felt like a “betrayal”.
She said: “At a time when Jews and Israel are fighting for survival, this decision has been felt as a blow – and yes, by many, as antisemitic.
“Every year, you stand with us at Holocaust memorials. You say ‘Never Again is now’ and you mean it. But this is the ‘now’. Jews again face an existential threat – and too often we feel we do not have your support.”
Demonstrators outside Hove Town Hall, where a motion was being heard on the council divesting from Israel, October 13, 2025[Missing Credit]
Mayor Grimshaw eventually allowed the uncensored speech to continue on Monday after her objections were met with shouts of “shame on you” and “let the Jew speak” from the chamber’s gallery. Conservative Party councillors Anne Meadows and Ivan Lyons also spoke out in favour of allowing the uncensored version to be read.
Sue Sheftz speaking to Brighton & Hove Council, October 13, 2025[Missing Credit]
The Brighton community action group Jewish and Proud, who initiated the deputation, said that they fear the passing of the divest motion and accusations of genocide by the council will “only serve to increase the risk to the local Jewish community, who have been experiencing increasing pressure and a tripling of antisemitism in Brighton since October 7.
“We are calling on the council to publicly retract the divest motion immediately and take steps to repair the damage to community cohesion and the local perception of Jews and Israel.”
When approached by the JC, a spokesperson for Brighton & Hove City Council said the council acknowledges the “deep concern” expressed by members of the Jewish community, and that the council is “committed to fostering community cohesion and ensuring respectful, inclusive debate.”
They continued: “While the notice of motion was brought by an opposition group under constitutional rules, we recognise the sensitivity of discussing foreign affairs, particularly in relation to Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, at a time of rising antisemitism.
“In relation to the deputation, the mayor sought to ensure that the deputation was read out as published. This is the mayor’s responsibility as chair of the meeting.
“This council and the current Labour administration has repeatedly and unequivocally condemned the terrorist organisation Hamas and recognised Israel’s right to defend itself.
“We recognise the distress and disappointment that these events have caused.
“We are reflecting carefully on the impact this has had and will continue working with community leaders to ensure Brighton & Hove remains a City of Sanctuary for all.”
The full text of the section that was initially prohibited by the council and mayor is as follows:
“The charge of “genocide” against Israel is false, dangerous and deeply painful. The Holocaust was a systematic attempt to wipe out every Jewish bloodline. To compare Israel to Nazis and Gaza to the Holocaust is not only false — it desecrates Holocaust memory, dilutes its meaning, and fuels modern Jew-hatred.
“Hamas — a proscribed terrorist organisation here in the UK — governs Gaza. It uses civilians as shields, blocks aid, prevents evacuation, and openly declares its aim of destroying Israel. Its charter is clear. Its rhetoric is clear. And the slogan ‘From the River to the Sea Palestine Will Be Free’ is not a call for peace — it is a call for the eradication of Israel and the death of all Jews. By contrast, Jews view life as sacred. We seek security, and peace. We are not a genocidal people. We do not celebrate suffering. Israel takes extraordinary measures to reduce civilian casualties. The claim that Israel deliberately kills babies and children is an antisemitic blood libel — a lie that has led to the murder of Jews for two thousand years. That must be acknowledged.
“On October 7, our community was traumatised. Hamas carried out a massacre: murder, rape, torture, abduction — including of babies — from homes and from the Nova Peace Festival. More than 1,200 people were slaughtered, hundreds wounded, 240 taken hostage. Forty-eight remain captive. These are not numbers. They are fathers, mothers, children. They matter.
“So, when Keir Starmer and this council’s leader, Bella Sankey, move to ‘recognise’ a Palestinian state without addressing those hostages, or the openly genocidal intent of Hamas, our community feels deep alarm. Hamas themselves celebrate this recognition as “the fruit” of October 7 — a reward for barbaric slaughter, ongoing cruelty, and the starvation of hostages. … Do not allow your policies to reward Hamas or legitimise those who would attack Jews.”
