A SCOTS Labour councillor has suggested that the Israeli secret service is behind Jewish newspapers' criticism of the party's stance on anti-Semitism.
Fife councillor Mary Lockhart spoke out about articles she said were attacking the Labour Party and its leader Jeremy Corbyn including commentary in "three Jewish newspapers".
She said: "If the purpose is to generate opposition to anti-semitism, it has backfired spectacularly.
"If it is to get rid of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Leader, it is unlikely to succeed, and is a shameless piece of cynical opportunism.
"If it is a Mossad assisted campaign to prevent the election of a Labour Government pledged to recognise Palestine as a state, it is unacceptable interference in the democracy of Britain.
"Whatever motivates it, and the MPs who exploit it, the Labour Party is neither racist, not anti-semitic. And the hysterical claims that it is, after inquiries, consultation, rule changes, calm and peaceable statements, should not be permitted to further influence the Party's rules."
READ MORE: Labour NEC is right in anti-Semitism stance
Among the first to criticise her was retired MSP Dr Richard Simpson who declared it a "conspiracy theory".
Dr Simpson, an honorary professor of health sciences and sport at Stirling University said: "She is a good councillor but..."
Two years ago, when she was Scottish Labour's newest councillor she was accused of linking her own party's officials to Nazis in a post on Facebook.
She had been protesting a decision to ban a number of Labour members from voting in the upcoming leadership contest.
In response, the Fife councillor quoted a famous poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller about Nazis persecution.
Ms Lockhart wrote on Facebook: “Who will they expel next? I have friends who are genuinely fearful!”
Underneath, she posted: "First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew.
READ MORE: Labour anti-Semitism plan criticised by Jewish groups
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
Scottish Labour said at the time that the comparison was “unacceptable”.
Ms Lockhart apologised for any offence caused and added: "I have found Pastor Neimoller’s most widely quoted poem inspiring since I first encountered it when the Rector of my school used it as a text on which to base his address at a school assembly.
"It is, in my view, a poem about having the courage to speak up for others experiencing adversity, whether you agree with their views or not, and it seems to me to underline some of the fundamental values of the Labour Party, namely solidarity.
“In posting it on Facebook, I had no intention of implying that suspensions or expulsions from the Labour Party were comparable to the Holocaust, or to the deliberate extermination of Jewish people, Lutherans, disabled people, and homosexuals which cast a long shadow over the 20th Century and beyond.
"I am deeply sorry if the post, in solidarity with a friend whose membership has been suspended, was interpreted as making such a comparison”.
Ms Lockhart was elected in a by-election following the resignation of Britain's last elected Communist politician.
Her win was hailed by the SNP who pointed out she was a pro-independence candidate.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel