Congratulations are in order for Green Party councilor Mothin Ali, after being elected to Leeds City Council by winning the Gipton and Harehills seat by 3,070 votes.
Ali celebrated the victory by shouting “Allahu Akbar!” and calling his election a ‘win for Gaza’. Does Leeds City Council get to vote on a ceasefire now or something? Watch below:
🇬🇧 Green Party candidate Mothin Ali unfurls Palestinian flag and shouts “Allahu Akbar! This is a win for the people of Gaza!” after election to Leeds city council. Another victory for prioritizing green spaces, protecting the environment and sustainable development. pic.twitter.com/ktJBX72zKG
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) May 5, 2024
Listen we don’t begrudge anyone celebrating their victories in life, but this isn’t really the sort of speech you’d expect to hear from someone who had just won a seat on Leeds City Council. Especially the seat for Gipton and Harehills, which by all accounts are two of the biggest sh*t holes in West Yorkshire! Shouldn’t Mothin Ali be worrying about sorting out the bin collections instead?
In any case, I don’t necessarily think there’s anything wrong with what Mothin Ali is saying, it just doesn’t really seem like the time or the place. All it’s done is fuel a bunch of anti-Islam sentiment online with the clip now doing the rounds on social media and people like Tommy Robinson making a big deal out of it. Which is definitely something Mothin Ali should have seen coming.
The Green Party is now investigating Ali, after he’d already said that Palestinians had the right to “fight back” on October 7th. A Green Party spokesperson said:
“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.”
Can the Green Party just go back to being about cycling, solar power and nature? Cheers.
For Sadiq Khan’s promise to bring Wrestlemania to London, click HERE. Make it happen, Sadiq!
