A local Labour party has said that a senior councillor suspended for posting antisemitic tropes can now be readmitted because of her efforts to rebuild trust with local Jewish community – but the area’s main Jewish organisation says it has not heard from her.
In 2016, Brighton councillor Anne Pissaridou shared an article from a conspiracy theory website which linked the Rothschilds to what it claimed would be the collapse of the German banking system and food shortages. The piece featured a picture of Jacob Rothschild next to stacked bars of gold and a picture of a distressed child.
In another Facebook post in 2018 she posted an article claiming “pro-Israel propagandists” had “taken out a contract to stop Jeremy Corbyn being elected”.
Cllr Pissaridou was suspended from Brighton’s Labour party in July 2020 over the two posts but is to be readmitted to the local party after undergoing what it called “conscious and sustained efforts to educate herself on issues around antisemitism and antisemitic tropes” and “rebuilding trust” with the local Jewish community.
The decision has enraged the Sussex Jewish Representative Council which said they were not consulted about the move nor aware of any contact between Cllr Pissaridou and any of the city’s recognised Jewish organisations.
At the time of her suspension, Cllr Pissaridou apologised for the distress caused to the Jewish community and said the posts did not reflect her views.
“I do not seek to excuse my mistake. I deeply regret not properly reading information before sharing such hurtful links,” she said.
She was readmitted to the national party in August, 2021, in a move which prompted a protest from the Brighton and Hove Labour group. They wrote to the council’s chief executive stating she would not be readmitted to the local party and one councillor even resigned in protest.
In a statement issued about the readmission, Brighton and Hove Labour group explained its change of heart.
It said: “The Labour group have made this decision as they feel Cllr Pissaridou has made conscious and sustained efforts to educate herself on issues around antisemitism and antisemitic tropes. She has also begun rebuilding trust with members of the local Jewish community and has apologised wholeheartedly for her actions that led to her initial suspension from the Labour party.
“The Labour group are clear that whilst we welcome the rehabilitative steps Cllr Pissaridou has taken, there is an ongoing learning journey we must all continuously take to improve our efforts to be proactive anti-racists and very vigilant in the face of antisemitism.”
However, a spokeswoman for the Sussex Jewish Representative Council said: “In order to sincerely learn and address issues of anti-Jewish racism, it is vital to speak directly with those impacted and those who are chosen to represent our community.
“Cllr Pissaridou shared anti-Jewish tropes and conspiracies which caused great offence and upset to our local community. It is for us to decide whether she has done enough to make up for those insults, not the local Labour party.
“If they had engaged with the local Jewish community and asked for our input, they would have been aware of our feelings on the matter.”
A spokesman for Labour Against Antisemitism said: “When Cllr Pissaridou was suspended in July, 2020, we welcomed the move as a prelude to her expulsion. We are therefore disappointed and concerned that she is being readmitted to the (Labour) group on Brighton Council. This is not zero tolerance of antisemitism.”
Elected on a Momentum slate to the North Portslade ward in 2019, Cllr Pissaridou was the chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee at the time of her suspension.
Her suspension followed the decision of Cllr Nichole Brennan to stand down in March, 2020, amid an investigation into her posts. Cllr Brennan protested against the international definition of antisemitism and posted on Facebook that she would “not bow down to white supremacy”.
The JC has contacted Cllr Pissaridou for comment.
