YET another Labour Councillor has become mired in an antisemitism scandal – with her own constituents now reporting her to the national party over her activity on social media.
Cllr Cassi Perry of Banbury Town Council, Oxfordshire, has been referred to the Labour Party’s head office for a series of alleged offences, including rejecting the EHRC’s definition of antisemitism and for branding members of the Jewish community raising safety concerns as liars.
The offending social media comments include tweets and Facebook posts stretching back over the past three years, and demonstrate the Councillor’s apparent belief in antisemitic conspiracy theories and age-old tropes.
In one piece of evidence submitted to Labour’s head office by a concerned constituent, the Councillor even liked a post written by a Councillor candidate who stood in the recent local elections that disgracefully claimed ISIS – the antisemitic, anti-west Islamic terrorist group – were protecting Israel ‘and all its massacres’.
Councillor Cassi Perry was already subject to a prior complaint of antisemitic conduct – yet the Banbury Labour Party branch decided to ignore heightened outrage among local residents and nominate her for re-election.
In fact, local residents, and even members of the Jewish community, have found themselves blocked by local Labour Councillors on social media, simply for voicing their justified concerns over antisemitism.
Speaking to VoteWatch, Neil Simmons, a local resident, said:
“My wife is Jewish American and we’ve been active in challenging antisemitism in the local CLP, which has inevitably led to smears and defamation attempts against me made by local Councillors.
“I reported Councillor Perry. In the run-up to May’s local Elections, my wife called out our local District Councillor, Perran Moon, and the Leader of the Labour group on the District Council, Sean Woodcock, on the fact that the local party were standing three candidates with a history of antisemitic remarks including one (already a sitting councillor) who had been subject to a successful formal Complaint for antisemitism.
“The response of both Councillors was simply to block my wife. These Councillors are purportedly ‘moderates’, and to block a Jewish Immigrant to this country voicing concerns about racism is further evidence (as if any were needed) that Labour have no intention of tackling the ingrained Jew-hate in their party.”
“A year on, all that has changed in Labour is the suit at the front. Nothing more” he added.
VoteWatch contacted the Labour Party and Cllr Perry for comment, yet received no reply.
