The Green Party is facing calls to drop a London local election candidate for sharing social media posts which claimed the Golders Green attacks were a “false flag”.
Aziz Rahman Hakimi, one of the Green council candidates for Haverstock ward in Camden, has been accused of “abhorrent and anti-Semitic” conduct over his social media activity, including reposting allegations that “Zionists” were behind the 9/11 attacks.
A civil engineer and local businessman, Mr Hakimi’s candidacy is under fire from critics for several “hateful” posts. The Green Party has said it is looking into the matter.
In March, after arsonists destroyed four Jewish charity-owned Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green, Mr Hakimi shared an article claiming the attack was a “false flag” operation. The Metropolitan Police are treating the incident as an anti-Semitic hate crime.
In another post in 2021, he described Sir Keir Starmer as an “Israeli poppet” [sic]. Mr Hakimi also shared a post which urged Muslims not to smoke because it helped “funding the Jews to kill our brothers”.
Mr Hakimi did not respond to a request for comment.
Labour’s Richard Olszewski, Leader of the Council, said: “Aziz Hakimi’s conduct is abhorrent and anti-Semitic and I’m appalled that the Camden Green Party selected him. His views have no place in our borough. The Camden Green Party must drop Hakimi immediately and make this clear to voters in Haverstock that they no longer support his candidacy.”
Speaking to the LDRS, Leader of the Opposition Tom Simon (Lib Dem) said he was “appalled to read the anti-Semitic and hateful views”.
“Peddling conspiracy theories that ‘Zionists’ were responsible for 9/11 and that the recent arson of the Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green was a ‘false flag’ operation is not only abhorrent but dangerous,” he said.
“If the Green Party is serious about standing against antisemitism, racism and hatred, they must act decisively, disown him as a candidate immediately and expel him from the party. To fail to do so would mean the Green Party is condoning his views.”
Lorna Jane Russell, Leader of Camden Greens, said: “Camden Green Party unequivocally reject antisemitism and all forms of racism. We take these allegations extremely seriously and while the party’s investigation is ongoing, I want to reassure our community that these views are unacceptable.
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“Our focus across Camden remains on running a positive, hopeful campaign, while holding Labour to account for their failures and poor record on housing.”
A spokesperson for the Greens told the LDRS the party was “investigating” Mr Hakimi’s comments, which “do not reflect the views and values of the Green Party”. The party declined to say how long the probe would take.
However, even if the party withdraws support for its candidate, there is now no legal way for his name to be removed from the ballot paper.
If a party nominates someone as their official candidate with a political party description and a logo, once the nomination deadline has passed, the ballot paper cannot be amended – even if a candidate is suspended. If they are then elected, the result would stand and they would sit as an independent.
Several posts were shared with the LDRS, after a dossier compiling comments made by Green candidates across the country was also shared with the national media, which have prompted further criticism over the party’s choice of candidates.
In Croydon, the Greens have confirmed that Mark Adderley will remain a candidate in the upcoming local elections despite criticism over his social media activity relating to Israel and conspiracy theories. However, the party has said it is now reviewing its vetting processes in response to the controversy.
As reported by The Times, Adderley, a candidate in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood, had previously shared posts comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and suggesting it was responsible for attacks against Jewish people.
This included a video where he attributed responsibility to Israel’s Prime Minister for the Golders Green Hatzola attack. Another source told the LDRS they believed his comments breached the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which describes it as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews”.
Critics have said his comments are offensive and have warned they risk undermining public confidence in candidates standing for election. However, a Green Party spokesperson told the LDRS that the party “totally rejects” claims that strong opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza should be conflated with antisemitism.
They added: “These examples don’t represent the views of the Green Party and we have had conversations with those involved and the relevant posts are being deleted.”
The LDRS approached Croydon Green Party and Mr Adderley for comment.
