Labour Politician Suspended After Councillor Shares Anti-Semitic Cartoon

A Councillor who shared an 'anti-Semitic' cartoon on social media has been suspended from the Labour Party. Mike Cahill, a West Oxfordshire District Councillor for the Chipping Norton ward, shared a post on Facebook containing the 'anti-Semitic' cartoon, leading to his suspension.

Following the decision, Councillors were emailed to inform them that Mr Cahill "No longer wishes to be treated as a member of the Labour Party and he will sit as independent".

Cahill said "I'm under administrative suspension from the Labour party, meaning they're investigating a dispute against me. I posted using my phone an extensive quote from Albert Einstein complaining what was happening to the Palestinians in 1948." he added "Where it went wrong was that when I posted the link to this article, apparently there was also a cartoon, which rightly so, was regarded as offensive. The mistake was mine, nobody else's. It's pretty obvious that anybody who knows me knows it was out of character."

In a post since deleted on Facebook, Mr Cahill apologised for sharing the cartoon. The post read "On visiting the page later, I discovered the cartoon, offensive in its presentation of racial stereotypes. That is why the post as a whole has been removed and I apologise again to those whom I have offended."

A spokesperson for the Labour Party said any complaints will be fully investigated, and appropriate action taken. "The Labour Party takes all complaints of anti-Semitism extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken." they added.

Mike Cahill is still a Councillor with Chipping Norton Council.