UK’s Labour suspends politician for liking tweet critical of Israel

LONDON: Britain’s Labour party has ousted its candidate in days after she launched her campaign allegedly for liking a tweet that was critical of Israel.

Faiza Shaheen said the Labour Party has blocked her from standing in the upcoming elections in the United Kingdom, over a series of posts she liked on X, including ones that were critical of Israel and detailed her own experiences of Islamophobia.

Ms Shaheen was due to take on former Tory party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith in the marginal north east London constituency. She narrowly lost to him in the same seat at the 2019 general election.

Faiza Shaheen was not endorsed by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) after she allegedly liked a series of social media posts that downplayed antisemitism accusations.

Shaheen told a news outlet she does not remember liking the post, and said she was told the line about professional organisations plays into anti-Semitic tropes.

The report said she was called to a meeting with a panel of NEC members on Tuesday in which they highlighted posts which raised questions about her suitability as a candidate.

The tweet on Israel referenced a sketch by the American comedian Jon Stewart and said:

“Every time you say something even mildly critical of Israel, you’re immediately assailed by scores of hysterical people who explain to you why you’re completely wrong, how you’re biased against Israel. Moreover, you can’t easily ignore them because those are not just random people. They tend to be friends or people who move in the same circles as you. Those people are mobilised by professional organisations.”

Shaheen, a former Labour candidate in the north London constituency of Chingford & Woodford Green, said she was still in a state of shock over the Labour Party’s move.