‘We Will Raise The Voice Of Gaza’: Green Party Launch Investigation Into Councillor Over Viral Victory Speech
Newly elected Green Party councillor Mothin Ali is under investigation by the party after a viral video of him describing his electoral victory as a “win for the people of Gaza” declaring “Allahu Akbar.”
Ali, who unseated a Labour candidate in the Gipton and Harehills ward in Leeds with a substantial vote lead, has not been suspended by his party but will continue his role while being investigated.
During his victory speech, the councillor said: “We will not be silenced. We will raise the voice of Gaza. We will raise the voice of Palestine. Allahu Akbar!”
A Green Party spokesman said Monday: “The Green Party is investigating issues drawn to our attention in relation to Councillor Mothin Ali, so cannot comment further. However, we are clear that we never support anything that extols violence.”
In response to the October 7 terror attacks, Ali made several posts on his social media platforms and accused Israel of using the “pretext of the fightback by Hamas fighters or supposedly Hamas fighters this morning” to carry out attacks on civilians.
Ali described Gaza as “the biggest concentration camp the world has ever seen,” and called on his viewers to “support the right of indigenous people to fight back.” He characterised Israel as “a settler, colonial, occupier” attempting to “erase the legitimacy of a native population.”
He added: “They are not victims, they are occupiers, they are colonialists, they are European colonialists. It’s one of the last European colonies in the world, and that’s why the European people don’t want to let it go. They use the weapon of anti-Semitism so effectively that anyone who criticises Israel is labelled as anti-Semitic.”
The Green Party announced the investigation ahead of a meeting with Lord John Mann, the government’s adviser on antisemitism, during which he said he will discuss with Green Party leaders the rhetoric of certain candidates and councillors.
During the meeting, he intends to examine whether the Green Party should suspend or expel these individuals and enhance its process for selecting and vetting candidates. He pointed out the necessity of potentially removing Ali from the party, similar to Labour’s dismissal of Azhar Ali in February – who insinuated that Israel orchestrated the October 7 attack as a pretext for an invasion of Gaza, a statement he later retracted.
This controversy unfolds as the Labour Party sees a dip in Muslim voter support, with some seats lost to candidates with a clear pro-Palestinian agenda as political and communal rifts continue to be influenced by the conflict.
