Yusuf Jan-Virmani A SENIOR Labour councillor has been suspended by the party for calling Israel crueller than crocodiles and accusing its government of kidnapping Palestinian children to harvest their organs. Former Blackburn with Darwen Council executive board member Cllr Yusuf Jan-Virmani made the comments in a debate on the recent Middle East conflict at the authority’s annual meeting on Thursday night. He is the third borough councillor to be disciplined by Labour for alleged anti-Semitism after the expulsion of former deputy leader Andy Kay and suspension of Cllr Tasleem Fazal over social media posts. The party’s action followed Blackburn Conservative Association calling for an investigation.
Yusuf Jan-Virmani.. A SENIOR Labour councillor has been suspended by the party for calling Israel crueller than crocodiles and accusing its government of kidnapping Palestinian children to harvest their organs. Former Blackburn with Darwen Council executive board member Cllr Yusuf Jan-Virmani made the comments in a debate on the recent Middle East conflict at the authority’s annual meeting on Thursday night. He is the third borough councillor to be disciplined by Labour for alleged anti-Semitism after the expulsion of former deputy leader Andy Kay and suspension of Cllr Tasleem Fazal over social media posts. The party’s action followed Blackburn Conservative Association calling for an investigation.
BBC News
Published
image copyrightBlackburn Conservative Association
image captionConservative candidate Altaf Patel, whose campaign video went viral this week, has been elected as a councillor
A taxi driver who says he is known as the BoJo of Blackburn has gained a seat from Labour, although the party has remained in overall control of the town s council.
Altaf Patel - whose campaign video went viral - took Audley & Queen s Park ward by more than 100 votes.
Labour held on to power in Blackburn with Darwen, Chorley and Preston, but lost control of Rossendale.
The Conservatives won back overall control of Pendle.
The party gained one seat from Labour.
BoJo of Blackburn wins election after posing next to X-rated graffiti in bizarre video
Tory candidate Tiger Patel didn t notice the fruity graffiti as he recorded the footage for a council election. The hilarious video afterwards gained millions of views on Twitter
18:28, 7 MAY 2021
Updated
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