AMforPM
02-25-2006, 02:17 AM
The very independent and popular mayor of London, who stood up to the dictatorial Blair-Bush duet, has outlandishly been suspended by some obscure board. The anti-democratic goings on are reaching Twilight Zone proportions.
The board generally deals with things like bribery, but in this case, it was being 'rude' to a reporter, and not apologizing nicely enough. sheesh!
fm bbc 2-24
"Mayor is suspended over Nazi jibe
Mr Livingstone said he was expressing his honestly-held view
London's mayor has been suspended from office on full pay for four weeks for comparing a Jewish journalist to a concentration camp guard.
The Adjudication Panel for England ruled Ken Livingstone had brought his office into disrepute when he acted in an "unnecessarily insensitive" manner.
The ban is due to begin on 1 March and the mayor's deputy Nicky Gavron will stand in for Mr Livingstone.
The mayor said: "This decision strikes at the heart of democracy."
He added: "Elected politicians should only be able to be removed by the voters or for breaking the law.
The case tribunal is concerned that the mayor does seem to have failed... to have appreciated that his conduct was unacceptable
David Laverick
Panel chairman
"Three members of a body that no one has ever elected should not be allowed to overturn the votes of millions of Londoners."
Mr Livingstone, whose annual salary is £133,997, said he would announce what action he would be taking next week.
The hearing followed a complaint from the Jewish Board of Deputies, which had not called for the mayor to be suspended over the comment he made to the Evening Standard's Oliver Finegold outside a public-funded party.
The chairman of the panel, David Laverick, said it had decided on a ban because Mr Livingstone had failed to realise the seriousness of his outburst.
He said: "The case tribunal accepts that this is not a situation when it would be appropriate to disqualify the mayor.
The Mayor and the Journalist
Ken Livingstone was recorded asking reporter Oliver Finegold if he is a "German war criminal".
Mr Finegold replies: "No, I'm Jewish, I wasn't a German war criminal. I'm quite offended by that."
The mayor then says: "Ah right, well you might be, but actually you are just like a concentration camp guard, you are just doing it because you are paid to, aren't you?"
The original row
"The case tribunal is, however, concerned that the mayor does seem to have failed, from the outset of this case, to have appreciated that his conduct was unacceptable, was a breach of the code (the GLA code of conduct) and did damage to the reputation of his office."
Mr Laverick went on to say that the complaint should never have reached the board but did so because of Mr Livingstone's failure to apologise.
In a statement, the Board of Deputies of British Jews said it regretted the guilty result, but said Mr Livingstone had been "the architect of his own misfortune" by failing to recognise the upset caused.
It added it had never sought anything more than an apology and an acknowledgement that his words were inappropriate for the "elected representative of Londoners of all faiths and beliefs".
'Outrageous ruling'
But Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron said the incident had been "blown out of all proportion" and described the decision as absurd.
Association of London Government chairman Sir Robin Wales added the "outrageous ruling" would stall the mayor in his work to increase police numbers and prepare the city for the 2012 Olympics.
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "This decision constitutes a clear over-reaction and an affront to our democratic traditions."
Mr Livingstone has said he was expressing his honestly-held political view of Associated Newspapers, but he had not meant to offend the Jewish community.
I'm certainly no fan of Ken Livingstone but this is a stupid waste of time and money
Tio Terry, Epsom
Send us your comments
The Evening Standard's editor Veronica Wadley said that Mr Finegold had behaved impeccably when he was insulted and accused Mr Livingstone of being stubborn.
The London Jewish Forum welcomed the ruling, with chairman Adrian Cohen calling for the mayor to create a strategy to ensure London's Jews would be treated with respect.
Conservative London Assembly Member Brian Coleman said Mr Livingstone had let Londoners down. All three called for the mayor to apologise.
Baroness Hamwee, Liberal Democrat chair of the assembly, said she was "quite taken aback" by the length of the suspension.
If an appeal fails, Mr Livingstone will be responsible for paying his own legal costs, estimated at £80,000."
The mayor was kicked out of the party by Blair, and went on to win. The newspaper in question has switched lately from jew bashing to muslim bashing, but is a real trash rag.
the background, from bbc
"London mayor Ken Livingstone has said he will not apologise to the Daily Mail group for likening a Jewish reporter to a concentration camp guard.
In a statement he said he did not mean to offend London's Jewish community and instead launched an attack on the newspaper group.
On tape, the Labour mayor told the Evening Standard's Oliver Finegold he was "like a concentration camp guard".
The paper called Mr Livingstone "arrogant" and defended its reporter.
The mayor told the news conference at City Hall: "A week ago I said it was not my intention to apologise to the Daily Mail group or the journalist."
He said that after a week of reflection he had "decided to stand by that position".
"There will be therefore no apology or expression of regret to the Daily Mail Group."
He added: "To the Daily Mail group, no-one in Britain is less qualified to complain about anti-Semitism.
"In truth, those papers were the leading advocate of anti-Semitism in the country for half a century."
'Hatred and fear'
He said that while it is true the Daily Mail has moved on from anti-Semitism, it now targets asylum seekers and Muslims.
"For the Mail group the victims may change but the intolerance, hatred and fear pervade every issue of the papers," Mr Livingstone said.
He added that over the past two weeks his "main concern" was for many Jewish Londoners, and regretted if his comments "may have been seen to downplay the horror and magnitude of the Holocaust".
"I wish to say to Londoners my words were not intended to cause such offence and that my view remains that the Holocaust against the Jews is the greatest racial crime of the 20th century."
Jewish leaders have responded to Mr Livingstone's comments.
Chief Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks said: "He [Livingstone] knows that Holocaust survivors were deeply wounded by his remarks.
"He may not have intended this, but that was the effect of his words, and therefore he must accept responsibility.
'Pain still there'
"His failure to offer an unequivocal apology is both regrettable and damages the stature of his office."
Karen Pollock, of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said it was an opportunity for the mayor "to say sorry and say he regretted the offence and upset he caused to Holocaust survivors and to the Jewish community".
"He failed to do that today, and therefore the upset is still there and the pain is still there."
Mr Livingstone also called into question the journalist's approach of "doorstepping" him, accusing him of "pursuing me along the pavement, thrusting your tape recorder at me whilst barking the same question".
Mr Livingstone once again attempted to divert attention from the real issue with a long tirade against the Daily Mail and Associated Newspapers
The Evening Standard said Mr Livingstone's accusation was "absurd" and "irrelevant".
A statement from the newspaper read: "Mr Livingstone's supposed attempt to draw a line under the matter today has done nothing to mend the hurt caused by his original remarks.
"His only words of contrition, aimed at the Jewish community, were that his words 'were not meant to cause offence'," it said, adding it believed the comments had offended Jews.
"Mr Livingstone once again attempted to divert attention from the real issue with a long tirade against the Daily Mail and Associated Newspapers.
Letters of support
"His accusations against the Mail are absurd. But they are in any case irrelevant: the Evening Standard is a different newspaper."
The Daily Mail said the mayor's attempt to drag the paper into a row with the Standard was "a red herring".
Mr Livingstone said he has received 1,500 letters and emails, 74% of which were in support.
On Monday, an investigation by local government watchdog the Standards Board began into allegations Mr Livingstone had brought his office into disrepute.
The board has the power to suspend or bar the mayor from office for five years.
But Mr Livingstone said the board's code of conduct - that councillors "must treat others with respect" - is a threat to the freedom of speech. "
The board generally deals with things like bribery, but in this case, it was being 'rude' to a reporter, and not apologizing nicely enough. sheesh!
fm bbc 2-24
"Mayor is suspended over Nazi jibe
Mr Livingstone said he was expressing his honestly-held view
London's mayor has been suspended from office on full pay for four weeks for comparing a Jewish journalist to a concentration camp guard.
The Adjudication Panel for England ruled Ken Livingstone had brought his office into disrepute when he acted in an "unnecessarily insensitive" manner.
The ban is due to begin on 1 March and the mayor's deputy Nicky Gavron will stand in for Mr Livingstone.
The mayor said: "This decision strikes at the heart of democracy."
He added: "Elected politicians should only be able to be removed by the voters or for breaking the law.
The case tribunal is concerned that the mayor does seem to have failed... to have appreciated that his conduct was unacceptable
David Laverick
Panel chairman
"Three members of a body that no one has ever elected should not be allowed to overturn the votes of millions of Londoners."
Mr Livingstone, whose annual salary is £133,997, said he would announce what action he would be taking next week.
The hearing followed a complaint from the Jewish Board of Deputies, which had not called for the mayor to be suspended over the comment he made to the Evening Standard's Oliver Finegold outside a public-funded party.
The chairman of the panel, David Laverick, said it had decided on a ban because Mr Livingstone had failed to realise the seriousness of his outburst.
He said: "The case tribunal accepts that this is not a situation when it would be appropriate to disqualify the mayor.
The Mayor and the Journalist
Ken Livingstone was recorded asking reporter Oliver Finegold if he is a "German war criminal".
Mr Finegold replies: "No, I'm Jewish, I wasn't a German war criminal. I'm quite offended by that."
The mayor then says: "Ah right, well you might be, but actually you are just like a concentration camp guard, you are just doing it because you are paid to, aren't you?"
The original row
"The case tribunal is, however, concerned that the mayor does seem to have failed, from the outset of this case, to have appreciated that his conduct was unacceptable, was a breach of the code (the GLA code of conduct) and did damage to the reputation of his office."
Mr Laverick went on to say that the complaint should never have reached the board but did so because of Mr Livingstone's failure to apologise.
In a statement, the Board of Deputies of British Jews said it regretted the guilty result, but said Mr Livingstone had been "the architect of his own misfortune" by failing to recognise the upset caused.
It added it had never sought anything more than an apology and an acknowledgement that his words were inappropriate for the "elected representative of Londoners of all faiths and beliefs".
'Outrageous ruling'
But Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron said the incident had been "blown out of all proportion" and described the decision as absurd.
Association of London Government chairman Sir Robin Wales added the "outrageous ruling" would stall the mayor in his work to increase police numbers and prepare the city for the 2012 Olympics.
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "This decision constitutes a clear over-reaction and an affront to our democratic traditions."
Mr Livingstone has said he was expressing his honestly-held political view of Associated Newspapers, but he had not meant to offend the Jewish community.
I'm certainly no fan of Ken Livingstone but this is a stupid waste of time and money
Tio Terry, Epsom
Send us your comments
The Evening Standard's editor Veronica Wadley said that Mr Finegold had behaved impeccably when he was insulted and accused Mr Livingstone of being stubborn.
The London Jewish Forum welcomed the ruling, with chairman Adrian Cohen calling for the mayor to create a strategy to ensure London's Jews would be treated with respect.
Conservative London Assembly Member Brian Coleman said Mr Livingstone had let Londoners down. All three called for the mayor to apologise.
Baroness Hamwee, Liberal Democrat chair of the assembly, said she was "quite taken aback" by the length of the suspension.
If an appeal fails, Mr Livingstone will be responsible for paying his own legal costs, estimated at £80,000."
The mayor was kicked out of the party by Blair, and went on to win. The newspaper in question has switched lately from jew bashing to muslim bashing, but is a real trash rag.
the background, from bbc
"London mayor Ken Livingstone has said he will not apologise to the Daily Mail group for likening a Jewish reporter to a concentration camp guard.
In a statement he said he did not mean to offend London's Jewish community and instead launched an attack on the newspaper group.
On tape, the Labour mayor told the Evening Standard's Oliver Finegold he was "like a concentration camp guard".
The paper called Mr Livingstone "arrogant" and defended its reporter.
The mayor told the news conference at City Hall: "A week ago I said it was not my intention to apologise to the Daily Mail group or the journalist."
He said that after a week of reflection he had "decided to stand by that position".
"There will be therefore no apology or expression of regret to the Daily Mail Group."
He added: "To the Daily Mail group, no-one in Britain is less qualified to complain about anti-Semitism.
"In truth, those papers were the leading advocate of anti-Semitism in the country for half a century."
'Hatred and fear'
He said that while it is true the Daily Mail has moved on from anti-Semitism, it now targets asylum seekers and Muslims.
"For the Mail group the victims may change but the intolerance, hatred and fear pervade every issue of the papers," Mr Livingstone said.
He added that over the past two weeks his "main concern" was for many Jewish Londoners, and regretted if his comments "may have been seen to downplay the horror and magnitude of the Holocaust".
"I wish to say to Londoners my words were not intended to cause such offence and that my view remains that the Holocaust against the Jews is the greatest racial crime of the 20th century."
Jewish leaders have responded to Mr Livingstone's comments.
Chief Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks said: "He [Livingstone] knows that Holocaust survivors were deeply wounded by his remarks.
"He may not have intended this, but that was the effect of his words, and therefore he must accept responsibility.
'Pain still there'
"His failure to offer an unequivocal apology is both regrettable and damages the stature of his office."
Karen Pollock, of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said it was an opportunity for the mayor "to say sorry and say he regretted the offence and upset he caused to Holocaust survivors and to the Jewish community".
"He failed to do that today, and therefore the upset is still there and the pain is still there."
Mr Livingstone also called into question the journalist's approach of "doorstepping" him, accusing him of "pursuing me along the pavement, thrusting your tape recorder at me whilst barking the same question".
Mr Livingstone once again attempted to divert attention from the real issue with a long tirade against the Daily Mail and Associated Newspapers
The Evening Standard said Mr Livingstone's accusation was "absurd" and "irrelevant".
A statement from the newspaper read: "Mr Livingstone's supposed attempt to draw a line under the matter today has done nothing to mend the hurt caused by his original remarks.
"His only words of contrition, aimed at the Jewish community, were that his words 'were not meant to cause offence'," it said, adding it believed the comments had offended Jews.
"Mr Livingstone once again attempted to divert attention from the real issue with a long tirade against the Daily Mail and Associated Newspapers.
Letters of support
"His accusations against the Mail are absurd. But they are in any case irrelevant: the Evening Standard is a different newspaper."
The Daily Mail said the mayor's attempt to drag the paper into a row with the Standard was "a red herring".
Mr Livingstone said he has received 1,500 letters and emails, 74% of which were in support.
On Monday, an investigation by local government watchdog the Standards Board began into allegations Mr Livingstone had brought his office into disrepute.
The board has the power to suspend or bar the mayor from office for five years.
But Mr Livingstone said the board's code of conduct - that councillors "must treat others with respect" - is a threat to the freedom of speech. "