Another Labour activist has been suspended for anti-Semitic social media posts
Ben Pruchnie / Getty
A Labour activist has been suspended from the party over yet another case of antisemitic social media posts.
David Watson, the fundraising co-ordinator for the Walthamstow Labour Party, has been suspended pending an investigation, a spokesperson told the Jewish Chronicle.
Watson shared articles on Facebook alleging that Daesh has used weapons produced in Israel, and accusing the Jewish state of genocide against the Palestinians.
News of this latest suspension comes soon after Ken Livingstone sparked fresh outrage by once again mentioning Adolf Hitler, this time in his latest interview with Sky News. The former London mayor was suspended by the Labour party last week for comments he made about the Nazi leader.
Livingstone was asked on Friday whether his part in the anti-Semitism row which has engulfed the party had contributed at all to Labour's poor performance in yesterday's UK elections.
This is what Livingstone said:
When journalists ask me a question, I answer it honestly. What was disgraceful was that group of MPs, those Blarites that wanted to get rid of Jeremy [Corbyn] and saw this as an opportunity to make all sorts of allegations and smears in the hope that it would divert attention and damage us massively.
Labour has still done very well... those who have gone out and ignored all that [allegations of anti-Semitism] nonsense and voted, supported Jeremy.
Asked whether his claim that Hitler was a Zionist was ill-advised, he said (emphasis ours): "It is not an unguarded or ill-advised comment to answer a question honestly about historical reality."
Once again, Livingstone's remarks sparked a social media storm.
In all seriousness, what is it in Livingstone's mind that thinks, still, that he HAS to keep talking about Hitler?
- Stephen Pollard (@stephenpollard) May 6, 2016
Ken Livingstone has audacity to say that it's 'embittered old Blarites' that will cost Sadiq votes in Camdem/Barnet. The mans unbelievable.
- Glen Mitchell (@GlenMitchell1) May 6, 2016
Ken Livingstone is still talking about Hitler. Seriously.
- Mike Hookem MEP (@MikeHookemMEP) May 6, 2016
The suspended Labour member's latest remarks come after the party lost multiple seats in areas with high Jewish populations across the UK.
The party was thrown out of wards like Sedgley and Prestwich in England, and the Scottish parliamentary seat Eastwood. All are home to a high number of Jewish voters.
Alan Quinn, a Labour councillor for Sedgley, blamed the result on Livingstone, and told the Jewish Chronicle that the antisemitism row had sparked a "backlash against the Labour Party".
He said: "It's down to one person, and that's Ken Livingstone.
"He has caused grotesque offence to the Jewish population in Prestwich with his absolutely awful comments. Our councillors put their hearts and souls into representing the area and there really is no place in the Labour Party for bigots like Ken Livingstone."
We asked Ken to come on Sky News to react to the elections/look ahead to London...we didn't say he had to mention Hitler again!
- Carl McQueen (@MrCarlMcQueen) May 6, 2016
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