"I accept fully that it was inappropriate and unacceptable."
Nasreen Khan, a Labour candidate, has been barred from representing the party for local elections in 2018. It comes after she made anti-Semitic remarks back in 2012.
She planned to stand for Labour in Little Horton’s elections. Nasreen even landed a shortlist in the nomination for the area, commonly seen as ‘safe’.
But, national news of her controversial comments quickly emerged. On Facebook, she linked to a video on Palestine and said:
“It’s such a shame that the history teachers in our school never taught us this but they are the first to start brainwashing us and our children into thinking the bad guy was Hitler. What have the Jews done good in this world?”
In addition, Nasreen allegedly stated: “The Jews have reaped the rewards of playing victims. Enough is enough!”
Since then, the hopeful apologised with a statement that read: “I accept fully that it was inappropriate and unacceptable.
“I have travelled a long way since then and learned so much. I profoundly regret the comments I made in 2012 and any offence they caused.”
Despite her apology, Labour still received a large number of complaints. For example, a spokesperson for ‘Labour Against Antisemitism’ argued:
“Nasreen Khan’s antisemitic comments about Hitler were made some years ago and were in the public domain, as were other issues such as her criminal record and her links to Hamas. Yet just last week she made it to a shortlist of two to become the Labour Party candidate for a safe seat on Bradford city council.
“Did Yorkshire and Humber Labour know about Ms Khan before she was shortlisted? Either they knew, and did nothing, in which case they have made a horrendous error of judgment, or they didn’t know and are appallingly incompetent.”
While the party originally declined to comment on the controversy, they arranged a re-interview with Nareen. Taking place on 15th November 2017, they decided to bar her from the 2018 local elections.
Since then, they too have released a statement. They said:
“Following an investigation, Nasreen Khan has been removed from Labour’s panel of approved candidates in Bradford. Labour condemns all anti-Semitism in the strongest possible terms.”
The hopeful had set her sights on the same seat held by former Lord Mayor Naveeda Ikram, who resigned on 15th November. She became the first elected British Pakistani woman for Bradford Council in 2004.
Now, Labour will continue to search for a new candidate to stand for Little Horton.
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