A JEWISH group claim they were not consulted over a councillor being readmitted to the Labour Party following a suspension for anti-Semitism.

The Brighton and Hove Labour group announced that councillor Anne Pissaridou would be readmitted after she "made conscious and sustained efforts to educate herself on issues around anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic tropes", and that she has begun "rebuilding trust with members of the local Jewish community".

However, a spokeswoman for the Sussex Jewish Representative Council said that they have made no contact with her and said they not aware of any attempts by her to contact any of the city's recognised Jewish organisations.

She said: "In order to sincerely learn and address issues of anti-Jewish racism, it is vital to speak directly with those impacted and those who are chosen to represent the broadcast sway of our community.

"Cllr Pissaridou shared anti-Jewish tropes and conspiracies which caused great offence and upset to our local community. It is for us to decide whether she has done enough to make up for those insults, not the local Labour Party.

"If they had engaged with the local Jewish community and sought our input, they would have been aware of our feelings on this matter."

The spokeswoman said that Labour's announcement of her readmission was "big on style but sorely lacking in substance.

"It is a great shame that the Brighton and Hove Labour group still seem to be unaware that in order to address anti-Semitism you need to speak with your local Jewish community," she said.

While councillor Daniel Yates, a former Labour council leader, said that the decision to re-admit Cllr Pissaridou "didn't go the way which I supported".

He told The Argus: "Once again, I am reminded of the depth of damage and fear that anti-Semitism caused for many of our city's residents and I am deeply troubled still by how we fully work to heal that dreadful wrong."

A spokesman for the Labour group said: "Whilst we welcome the rehabilitative steps Cllr Pissaridou has taken, there is an ongoing learning journey, we must all continuously take to improve our efforts to be proactive anti-racists and ever vigilant in the face of anti-Semitism.

"The Brighton and Hove Labour group are clear that there is no room for anti-Semitism or any other form of racism in our party, on our council, or in our city."

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