…By Henry George for TDPel Media.
A Labour councillor and magistrate, Ansar Hussain, has been given a formal warning by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office for sharing anti-Semitic messages on Facebook.
Hussain was suspended by the Labour Party in May 2021, after it emerged that he had shared anti-Semitic posts on social media between 2015 and 2019.
The posts contained conspiracy theories and compared Jewish people with Nazis.
The body found that Hussain’s actions were prejudiced and fell below the high standards of conduct expected of a judicial office-holder.
According to the panel, Hussain accepted responsibility for his conduct, reported the matter to his bench chair, apologised, closed his public social media accounts, and voluntarily undertook diversity and inclusivity training.
As a result, Hussain is free to continue sitting as a magistrate.
However, he has received a formal warning, which will remain on his record.
Anti-Semitism is a form of racism that has been on the rise in the UK in recent years.
The Labour Party has faced allegations of institutional anti-Semitism, which have resulted in the suspension and expulsion of a number of party members.
In response, the party has launched an independent review into anti-Semitism, which is being led by the human rights lawyer, Martin Forde QC.
The review is expected to report later this year.
The formal warning to Hussain comes as anti-Semitism remains a growing concern in the UK, with the Community Security Trust reporting record levels of anti-Semitic incidents in the first half of 2021.
The government has responded to the issue by appointing John Mann, the former Labour MP, as the new independent adviser on anti-Semitism.
Mann’s role is to advise the government on the best ways to tackle anti-Semitism, and he will report to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
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