Brian Capaloff, who is standing in the Hale End & Highams Park South ward, is accused of stating a recent antisemitic attack in London was a ‘Reichstag moment’ for right-wing Zionists, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
The Green Party says it is investigating allegations a Waltham Forest candidate made antisemitic remarks on a pseudonymous X account.
Brian Capaloff is standing for the Greens in the Hale End & Highams Park South ward in the upcoming local elections on Thursday, 7th May.
Capaloff was linked to an X account under the name Russ, with the handle @c0cteau8, in an article by Jewish News yesterday (4th May).
One post made by the account said that while the recent Golders Green stabbing may not have been staged, it could serve as a “burning of the Reichstag moment” – which helped Adolf Hitler secure power in Germany in 1933 – for “authoritarian and extremist Zionists”.
The @c0cteau8 account references Capaloff by name on several occasions. One X post from 2021 claims authorship of the candidate’s memoirs, according to Jewish News.
Additionally, Capaloff’s own Instagram account – which features his face, name and information about his local candidacy – is under the virtually identical handle @cocteau8.
A spokesperson for the Waltham Forest Greens said it was “aware of the Jewish News article and the concerns raised about the candidate in question”.
“The matter has been referred and is now being investigated,” they wrote.
The branch was responding to an open letter address to Polanski by Grace Williams, leader of the Labour-run Waltham Forest Council, published earlier today (5th May).
She called the comments “dangerous conspiracy theories that echo some of the most harmful antisemitic tropes” and urged Polanski to “act accordingly”.
“You have said that one case of antisemitism is one too many. I agree. But those words must be matched by action,” she wrote.
She demanded Polanski confirm whether Capaloff will be removed as a candidate, explain how he was selected, assure residents “that the 52 other Green party candidates in Waltham Forest were vetted more thoroughly,” and to set out changes he would make to “ensure this cannot happen again”.
The Greens spokesperson said: “Antisemitism is abhorrent. We name it clearly, we take every concern seriously, and we act on it. That is not a statement – it is how we operate.
“We are aware of the Jewish News article and the concerns raised about the candidate in question. The matter has been referred and is now being investigated.
“We are proud to be a party whose leader is Jewish. And we are committed to ensuring Waltham Forest is a place where every community – Jewish, Muslim, and all others – feels safe, valued and represented.”
Capaloff says he has worked for different local authorities in England and Scotland for most of his professional life, focusing on homelessness.
“I have been frustrated by many aspects of the housing/ homelessness work undertaken by the council, whilst being full of admiration for a highly committed, but constrained staff,” he said in campaigning material.
“I am standing with an intention to ensure that the council fully and effectively enacts its housing responsibilities to those of us in the greatest need.”
The Echo contacted Capaloff for comment.
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