Anti-racists condemn the suspension of Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London
24/02/06
Anti-racist campaigners have reacted angrily to the news of the suspension of the Mayor of London by the Adjudication Panel for England.
Claude Moraes MEP and NAAR European Parliamentary Liaison Officer said:
I disagree with this suspension. Ken Livingstone in my opinion has one of the strongest track records on anti-racism and anti-Semitism, and it is a proven track record, that is easily the strongest of any municipal leader in Europe.
Milena Buyum, Vice Chair of National Assembly Against Racism said:
We are outraged at the outcome of the Adjudication Panel for England hearing, which suspended the Mayor from his office for a month. The Mayor of London has a thirty-year record of consistently pursuing an agenda for equality and against racism that very few other politicians can make a claim to. Only last July, it was his immediate response to the horror of the London bombings that brought Londoners together and ensured that our multicultural city responded to the tragedy in the best possible way in these circumstances.
The Mayor of London should be judged on his consistent record on anti-racism, lesbian and gay rights and women's rights and his opposition to injustice. Three unelected appointees should not be able to overturn the will of the seven million strong London's electorate. Hundreds of thousands of Black Londoners who voted for the Mayor on his record of fighting racism are being undermined by this undemocratic and arbitrary decision.
For further information contact Milena Buyum, Vice-Chair of National Assembly Against Racism on 07879 612 234
The news that London Mayor Ken Livingstone is to face a one month suspension over comments made to an ''Evening Standard'' journalist was a surprise to many across the political spectrum when it was announced on Friday.

Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron, who would take over the Mayor's duties in the event of a suspension, said "This decision is absurd - millions of Londoners elected the Mayor, and three unelected officials remove him. An elected Mayor should only be removed by the law or by the electorate, not by an unelected body."

Support was also received from the Stop the War Coalition, who said in a statement that they were appalled - "Ken Livingstone was elected by millions of Londoners and he has been suspended by an unelected quango". The Trades Union Congress also condemned the statement, praising the Mayor's "absolute commitment and exemplary and consistent record in opposing racism of any form". The National Assembly Against Racism Vice Chair said that they were "outraged" at the decision, also praising the Mayor's record of anti-racism campaigning.

The Board Of Deputies Of British Jews suggested that the Mayor had been "the architect of his own misfortune" by failing to apologise over the incident, but said that they had not sought anything other than an expression of regret.

The Muslim Association of Britain argued that the suspension was a serious blow to democracy and free speech by undermining "the essence and values of democracy".

The Chairman of the London Jewish Forum Adrian Cohen welcomed the decision, but suggestion that it should never have reached the point of a suspension "when a simple apology could have avoided all the pain caused to so many Jewish Londoners", a sentiment echoed by the Jewish Leadership Council.

The Editor of the Evening Standard, whose journalist is at the centre of the controversy, claimed that the journalist had behaved impeccably and accused Mr Livingstone of being stubborn.