A LABOUR councillor has been suspended from the party for a second time.
Anne Pissaridou, who represents North Portslade on Brighton and Hove City Council, was previously suspended from the party in 2020 over allegedly anti-Semitic material on social media.
She was re-admitted to the Labour group in February after claiming to have begun rebuilding trust with members of the local Jewish community.
It is understood that she has now been suspended from holding office in the Labour Party for 18 months and will not be eligible to stand as a Labour candidate in next year’s Brighton and Hove City Council election.
A spokesman for the Labour Party said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.”
In February, when Cllr Pissaridou was re-admitted to the Labour group on the council, a Labour spokesman said the councillor had “made conscious and sustained efforts to educate herself on issues around anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic tropes”.
He said: “She has also begun rebuilding trust with the members of the local Jewish community and has apologised wholeheartedly for her actions that led to her initial suspension from the Labour Party.”
The Sussex Jewish Representative Council raised concerns about her readmission to the party earlier this year.
A spokeswoman for the group said in February: “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 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.
“It is a great shame that the Brighton and Hove Labour group seem to be unaware that in order to address anti-Semitism you need to speak with your local Jewish community.”
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