Tower
Hamlets's Muslim mayor Lutfur Rahman sparked a storm of protest tonight
after raising the Palestinian flag over the town hall ‘in solidarity
with Gaza’.
Barely
24 hours after it emerged Mr Rahman is to face trial over claims he
committed widespread voting fraud, he ordered the flag to fly ‘in
support of a ceasefire and peace’.
Jewish
leaders condemned the move as 'destructive' for community relations as
local residents said the council should concentrate on 'potholes and
bins' and not international conflicts.
Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman tweeted this photo of the Palestinian flag flying outside the town hall
Mr Lutfur
said he had taken the decision to fly the flag ‘in solidarity with Gaza’
but Tory party chairman Grant Shapps condemned the 'empty, flag-waving
gesture politics'
Mr
Rahman was a member of the Tower Hamlets Labour Party and was its
candidate to be the first directly elected mayor of the borough in 2010.
But
he was expelled from the Labour party after allegations surfaced about
his close links with an Islamic extremist group called the Islamic Forum
of Europe.
He is accused of using illegal tactics to win the mayoral election in Tower Hamlets, East London, in May.
Just
yesterday it emerged four voters had won their big to have a damaging
dossier of evidence heard at a full trial. Mr Rahman has strenuously
denied allegations of electoral fraud.
Today
Mr Rahman risked provoking fresh controversy with his decision to fly
the flag of Palestine over the town hall in Mulberry Place, off Clove
Crescent.
He
tweeted a photograph of the flag, with the message: ‘Palestinian flag
flying at Town Hall in solidarity with #Gaza and in support of a
ceasefire & peace.’
The
move risks angering the Jewish community in the east London borough and
fuelling divisions in a borough increasingly used to making headlines
for the wrong reasons.
It is totally inappropriate. It is also destructive of relations between the communities that make up our capital city
Jonathan Arkush, Board of Deputies of British Jews
A recent review found the council's handling of the local and European election count was 'inadequate'.
Tonight
Tory party chairman Grant Shapps told MailOnline: 'This is an
administration that cannot even organise their own election count, let
alone intervene on foreign affairs in the Middle East.
'What we need is an immediate ceasefire and continued humanitarian aid, rather than empty, flag-waving gesture politics.'
Mayor
Rahman should remember that he is flying a flag from a British town
hall in support of an organisation that is regarded across Europe and
the world as terrorist. It is totally inappropriate. It is also
destructive of relations between the communities that make up our
capital city.
It is not thought that there are any rules stopping the flying of the flag over a public building.
Jonathan
Arkush, vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said:
'Mayor Rahman should remember that he is flying a flag from a British
town hall in support of an organisation that is regarded across Europe
and the world as terrorist.
'It is totally inappropriate. It is also destructive of relations between the communities that make up our capital city.'
The decision to
fly the flag from the town hall Mulberry Place, off Clove Crescent in
the East London borough risks causing community divisions
There was immediate condemnation of
the decision on Twitter, with some arguing the council should
concentrate on 'potholes and bins'
In
a statement Mr Rahman said: 'We are flying the Palestinian flag over
the town hall as a humanitarian gesture of our solidarity with the
people of Gaza.
'In
addition to the current military onslaught, the blockade of Gaza is
causing a humanitarian catastrophe. Over 1,000 people have been killed,
most of them women and children. An urgent aid corridor needs to be
opened to allow those injured to receive treatment and medical care.
What we need is an immediate ceasefire and continued humanitarian aid, rather than empty, flag-waving gesture politics
Tory party chairman Grant Shapps
'We
mourn the loss of life in this tragic conflict. We call on our Prime
Minister to help create a lasting peace that breaks the cycle of
violence between Israelis and Palestinians and prevents any further loss
of innocent lives.'
An
estimated 1,200 Palestinians and 55 Israelis have been killed in the
conflict. Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after a surge in rocket
fire from the territory.
Hamas,
which controls Gaza, has said it will not stop fighting until a
blockade on the area, maintained by both Israel and Egypt, is lifted.
Already this month there have been angry rows about Preston Town Council and Bradford Council flying the Palestinian flag.
David
Israel of the Leeds Jewish community said the Preston council was wrong
to take sides in the conflict. innocent Israeli civilians have suffered
through war and conflict,' he told the BBC.
'If
you're going to put up one flag you need to put up the other flag to
show support for innocent civilians on both sides on the conflict.'
Others backed the move, saying they were 'proud' of Mr Lutfur for taking the controversial decision
Earlier
Mr Cameron announced an extra £3 million aid for Gaza as he repeated
his call for an unconditional ceasefire to stop the conflict. Britain
has already given £7 million in aid.
Speaking
during a Q&A session with workers in Warrington, Mr Cameron said
the £3 million would ‘help make sure the people in Gaza have the basic
necessities of life, the food, the shelter and the assistance that they
need’.
Prime Minister David Cameron today announced an extra £3million for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza
He went on: ‘We should be very clear that we want an unconditional, immediate, humanitarian ceasefire that applies to everybody.
'What
we are seeing happening in Gaza is completely tragic and ghastly, the
loss of life is appalling, it is heart-rending watching these scenes on
our television.
'But while calling for an unconditional, immediate ceasefire, we do have to be clear about a couple of points.'
Mr
Cameron added: 'Yes, it is awful what is happening in Gaza and the loss
of life, but we do have to remember, whenever we have had a ceasefire
in the last few days, it has been a ceasefire that has been obeyed and
observed by the Israelis but it has not been observed by Hamas.
'Hamas
continue the rocket attacks that are not aimed at military targets or
political targets. They are aimed, indiscriminately, into Israel in
order to do the maximum damage they possibly can.
'And so we do have to understand that that has to stop in order for there to be a lasting ceasefire.'
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