EXCL Labour launches probe after councillor shares post comparing Israeli PM to Hitler

Labour has launched an investigation into another councillor after he shared a Facebook post comparing the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.



Former Shrewsbury Mayor Ioan Jones also endorsed a post claiming the ongoing row over anti-Semitism in the party had been "manufactured" by the "Israel lobby".

During his time as mayor, Mr Jones also reposted an image online about investment banker Jacob Rothschild, claiming that his family had "financed both sides of every war since Napoleon".

In December last year, the Labour councillor posted an image on his public Facebook page which shows a picture of Mr Netanyahu underneath an image of Hitler with the tag line "What’s the difference?"

The image also appears to portray the Israeli leader giving a Nazi salute.

The same Facebook image was shared earlier this year by one of the party’s minority officers, Dorian Bartley, leading to his suspension by Labour bosses.

Labour Councillor Ioan Jones shared this meme on Facebook comparing Israel to Nazi Germany. The same image got one of their party officers in London suspended earlier this year. pic.twitter.com/yRNK3UMGOw — John Johnston (@johnjohnstonmi) 31 July 2018

In April, 2016, while he was deputy mayor, Mr Jones shared another article which claimed that the "Israel Lobby manufactured the Labour party’s anti-Semitism crisis".

And while he was Deputy Mayor of Shrewsbury he shared an article that claimed the Israel lobby were behind the anti-Semitism crisis in the party. pic.twitter.com/L6jXCjwTko — John Johnston (@johnjohnstonmi) 31 July 2018

His posts about the Rothschild family went online in October the same year - by which time he was mayor.

He also reposted one about the Rothschilds, accusing them of financing wars and controlling the media. pic.twitter.com/I89RSXpJNF — John Johnston (@johnjohnstonmi) 31 July 2018

Party sources confirmed that Mr Jones was being investigated after PoliticsHome unearthed the posts.

A spokesperson for the Labour party said: "The Labour party takes all complaints of antisemitism extremely seriously and we are committed to challenging and campaigning against it in all its forms.

"Complaints about anti-Semitism are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.”

Mr Jones was approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

Jennifer Gerber, director of Labour Friends of Israel, said: "This is yet another example of the abhorrent anti-Semitism that now finds a home in the Labour party.

"It is a depressing sign of the times that a Labour councillor would think it acceptable to share such anti-Semitic material. Councillor Jones must be thrown out of the party immediately”."

The latest probe follows the suspension of two other Labour councillors for alleged anti-Semitism.

Damien Enticott shared a video claiming Jews drink blood and sexually abuse children.

And Mary Lockhart suggested the Israeli secret service could be trying to stop Labour win the next election.

Meanwhile, a Labour MP has called on a member of the party's national executive committee to resign after he said some of Jeremy Corbyn's Jewish critics were "Trump fanatics".

Peter Willsman, who is standing for re-election to the NEC, also said some of those behind criticisms of the party "can falsify social media very easily".

John Mann, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on anti-Semitism, told PoliticsHome: "He should resign immediately and if he doesn't he should be kicked off the NEC."