Conservatives have condemned several illegal posters which on Wednesday appeared across London on bus shelters featuring racist messages on Wednesday that stated “Israel is a racist endeavour”.
The full-size posters, which were illegally posted over existing advertising space, appeared at a number of central London bus-stops, including those on Westminster and Waterloo Bridges.
The anti-Israel campaign group London Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for the posters.
JC Decaux, the advertising firm which owns a number of the defaced hoardings, confirmed that this was “vandalism – not advertising”, and they were removed.
On Thursday, the London Assembly voted unanimously on Thursday to condemn the posters. GLA Conservative Leader Gareth Bacon AM, who proposed the motion said: “We saw a concerted effort by racist, antisemitic and politically motivated people to intimidate London’s Jewish communities. We must make a clear and united stand when it comes to racism in all forms and make sure that those trying to demonise certain communities in our city are brought to Justice”.
The full text of the motion is: “This Assembly condemns the ‘Israel is a racist endeavour’ posters that have been illegally stuck on a number of London bus shelters, thanks the Mayor for his swift criticism of this vandalism and urges Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police Service and all relevant parties to ensure that those responsible are identified, found and brought to justice”.
The posters went up a day after Labour Party in-fighting about criticism of Israel and antisemitism resulted in the eventual adoption of the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had tried to add an accompanying clarification to the IHRA definition suggesting that it was legitimate to describe Israel as a racist endeavour.
