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A Green party A councilor at the center of an anti-Semitic row has apologized “for the irritation caused” by his remarks but hit back at “Islamophobic” attacks on him.
The Green Party launched an investigation into Motin Ali, who was elected to Leeds city council last week but declined to remove him.
Ali, who is a YouTube and TikTok personality, has come under fire for remarks he made in social media videos in recent months and during his acceptance speech last week.
In his election speech, recorded on his TikTok channel, Ali stood in front of a Palestinian flag and said “Allahu Akbar” and “this is a victory for the people of Gaza.”
On the day of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, Ali said in comments on social media that Palestinians had the right to “hit back”.
In a separate video posted on social media, he criticized a rabbi who went into hiding after receiving online threats because he served in the Israel Defense Forces. Ali called Rabbi Zechariah Deutsch a “freak.”
In a statement released by the Green Party branch in Leeds after the remarks sparked a backlash, Ali said he “regrets any irritation caused by my comments on the conflict in Gaza. That was not my intention.”
“Like many around the world, I have been deeply affected by the terrible conflict currently going on in Gaza. The International Court of Justice has said that this conflict meets the case of plausible genocide,” he added.
“I don’t support violence from any side: violence leads to more violence and that’s what I tried to convey,” he added. “I have consistently called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages.” I hope to soon work with a broad coalition, including both the Jewish and Muslim Greens, to discuss sensible ways of working to deliver on our shared passion to end the conflict.
Ali hit back at criticism for using the words “Allahu Akbar” in his acceptance speech for last week’s Leeds City Council election, suggesting the attacks were Islamophobic.
“It is not unusual for someone of my faith to use the words ‘Allahu Akbar’ as an expression of gratitude and celebration. Some have tried to misrepresent this and it suggests Islamophobia for me, said Ali.
The Jewish Labor Movement (JLM), an affiliate of the Labor Party, wrote to the Greens on Tuesday warning they were allowing “those with a history of spreading anti-Semitic views and positions to join and represent your party”.
JLM questioned why Ali was allowed to stand after his remarks about Rabbi Zachariah Deutsch.
Simon Myerson KC, the chairman of the Leeds Jewish Representative Council, published a letter he wrote to fellow Green Party leaders Carla Denier and Adrian Ramsay calling for Ali to be removed.
The Green Party said it was investigating the context of Ali’s remarks and declined to comment.
It came as Sian Berry, a former Green Party co-leader, announced she was standing down from the London assembly just three days after being elected.
Berry’s decision to leave the assembly paves the way for Zoe Garbett, who was the Green Party’s unsuccessful candidate in the London mayoral race, to take her place.
The move drew criticism from Labor who said Berry should not have run for the London assembly if he was going to give up the seat immediately.
Berry is the Greens’ parliamentary candidate in Brighton Pavilion, the seat currently held by the party’s sole MP Caroline Lucas, who is standing down at the next election. She was criticized by Labor for standing in London and Brighton at the same time.
Berry said: “Zoe has shown what a big difference she will make at City Hall, listening to Londoners and bringing their voices into the political debate. That’s why she needs to be on this job as soon as possible.
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