Joy Wallace also suggested Home Secretary Priti Patel’s skin color was the result of “a strong sunbed.”
By World Israel News Staff
The British Labour Party has suspended a councillor over a series of incendiary tweets that included accusing a rabbi of being “paid handsomely” to criticize former party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Councillor Joy Wallace also called Rachel Riley, a Jewish presenter on the British game show Countdown, a “witch” for opposing the former Labour leader in since-deleted posts, the London-based Jewish Chronicle reported.
Wallace also made derogatory remarks about British Home Secretary Priti Patel’s Asian heritage, saying her skin color might be the result of “vitiligo or a strong sunbed.”
Wallace’s suspension means she is barred from attending any party meetings or events and cannot hold office within the party.
The news came as the party is facing questions into its screening process in the wake of a spate of suspensions, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
Last month, fellow Labour councillor from the borough of Haringey, Ibrahim Ali, was suspended after the newspaper unearthed his remarks defending Islamic State terrorist known as “Jihadi John” as a “beautiful young man.”
That month also saw Milton Keynes councillor Ansar Hussein suspended over antisemitic social media posts about Israel, the report said. Hussein has since apologized for the posts.
The Jewish Chronicle also exposed an article shared by Newham councillor Belgica Guana, titled: “The so-called ‘Holocaust’ is propaganda in an ongoing war between the Jews and those with the courage to stand up to them.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints of racism extremely seriously. They are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.”
Corbyn’s five-year term as Labour chief was marred by persistent reports of antisemitism within the party. In January of this year, Corbyn was barred from being reinstated as a member of parliament.