Labour’s new candidate in an east London seat where left-winger Faiza Shaheen was deselected this week has vowed to stand against “hatred and antisemitism”, after the local Labour office was plastered with anti-Israel graffiti.
Photos of the Chingford and Woodford Green office show the words “Israel lobby out”, “UK MPs work for UK not Israel” were sprayed on the the front of the building.
The police are investigating the incident in Chingford, which follows Labour’s national executive committee deselecting long-standing local candidate Faiza Shaheen and appointing a Brent councillor to the seat this week ahead of the general election.
Horrible attack on Labour’s Chingford & Woodford Green office, which was graffitied overnight.
“Israel lobby” among the words scrawled across the windows.
Met Police is investigating pic.twitter.com/apGAA4utJ3— Rachael Burford (@RachaelBurford) June 1, 2024
Shama Tatler, Labour’s new candidate and a co-chair of the Labour to Win campaign group which has strongly supporter Keir Starmer’s leadership, posted on X: “This shameful act of vandalism on our office is an attack on the whole community.
“I will always stand up against the forces of hatred and antisemitism.”
Local Labour councillor Kira Lewis posted a photo of volunteers cleaning the front of the office, adding: “We’re never letting hatred divide our community.”
It came amid an ongoing row over Labour’s candidate selection in the seat. Shaheen has continued to put pressure on the party over her deselection, with hundreds reported to have attended a rally in Highams Park on Friday night.
Shaheen said earlier this week following her deselection that Gaza was “one of the key concerns” for voters in her seat, with many “angry at the stance the national party has taken”. She said she had “gone out of my way” to persuade voters Labour was still the right choice.
At least one of the social media posts Shaheen has said she was deselected over involved Israel, with Shaheen apologising after acknowledging it “plays into a trope”. She has also highlighted her criticism of both Israeli government actions and Hamas’ actions, saying the two were not “incompatible”.
We’re never letting hatred divide our community 💪 pic.twitter.com/Ejy8Z1rhP9
— Kira Lewis (@kira_millana) June 1, 2024
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