The Green Party has suspended a London council candidate who shared social media posts blaming Israel for arson attacks on Jewish volunteer ambulances in March.
Social Media Controversy
A repost on the social media profile of Aziz Rahman Hakimi, one of the Green Party's election candidates for Haverstock ward in Camden, provoked outrage in April. The post alleged that the fiery destruction of Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green was a "false flag" operation carried out by Israel.
A dossier of election candidates' social media activity shared with the press revealed that Mr Hakimi's account also reposted allegations that "Zionists" were responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Labour and the Liberal Democrats urged the Greens to drop him as a candidate for peddling "abhorrent and anti-Semitic" conspiracy theories.
Party Response and Investigation
The Green Party initially told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the comments "did not reflect the party's views or values" and placed him under investigation. Now, the LDRS can confirm Mr Hakimi has been suspended by the party as a result of the probe, while the issue is investigated further.
Mr Hakimi, a civil engineer and local business owner, also posted in 2021 that Sir Keir Starmer was an "Israeli poppet" [sic]. His account shared a post urging Muslims not to smoke because it helped the tobacco industry to "fund the Jews to kill our brothers".
The candidate did not respond to a request for comment. Labour sources claimed Green Party election posters have since been removed from his shop window.
Local Party Stance
When the social media posts first emerged, Leader of Camden Greens, Lorna Jane Russell, said the local party "unequivocally rejects anti-Semitism and all forms of racism". The LDRS approached Camden Greens to ask if they would still endorse Mr Hakimi's candidacy following his suspension, but the party did not respond in time for publication.
However, even if the party withdraws support for its candidate, there is no legal way for his name to be removed from the ballot paper. If a party nominates someone as their official candidate with a political party description and a logo, once the nomination deadline has passed, the ballot paper cannot be amended even if that candidate is suspended or expelled. If elected, the result would stand and the candidate would sit as an independent if stripped of party membership, though there has been no finding of fact by the Green Party against Mr Hakimi.
Broader Context
The Metropolitan Police is treating the Hatzola arson attacks as an anti-Semitic hate crime and has arrested four people in connection with the incident, all of whom have been charged.
Mr Hakimi's suspension comes as other Green Party election candidates have been involved in controversy over social media posts, including two in Lambeth and one in Croydon who has also been suspended.
Golders Green became the site of another attack on Wednesday, April 29, involving a double stabbing of two Jewish men aged 34 and 76. Both individuals remain in a stable condition, and the alleged perpetrator has appeared in court on suspicion of the attempted murder of three people.
The incident, being treated as a terror attack, has led Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis to claim that anti-Semitism is being "normalised" in the UK.
On Friday, May 1, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley urged the government to fund putting 300 more officers on the streets to combat an "epidemic of anti-Semitism".
