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Council worker sacked for comments about Zionism wins back job

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Council worker sacked for comments about Zionism wins back job

A self-described anti-Zionist who was sacked from his job of more than 17 years after being filmed arguing with a protester at a rally protesting against antisemitism in the Labour party has won his job back and approximately £70,000 in damages after a judge ruled he was unfairly dismissed.

Stan Keable, a public protection and safety officer at Hammersmith and Fulham council, was videoed having an exchange with a protester who was on the 26 March 2018 Enough is Enough demonstration.

During the discussion, Keable, who was on a counter-march with Jewish Voices for Labour, which was supportive of the then party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said “the Zionist movement collaborated with the Nazis”.

The footage was uploaded to Twitter by the Newsnight journalist David Grossman with the title Anti-Semitism Didn’t Cause the Holocaust and Zionists Collaborated with the Nazis and viewed almost 80,000 times.

Criticism was subsequently levelled at Keable, including from a local Conservative MP, Greg Hands, who identified him as an employee of the Labour council and urged it to take action. After the council leader wrote an email on 27 March calling on officials to act swiftly, Keable was suspended the same day for “offensive” comments and sacked two months later.

The employment tribunal judge heard that the council accepted Keable’s comments were not antisemitic and were a reference to the 1933 Haavara agreement, a deal between Germany and German Zionists to facilitate the emigration of Jews to British-controlled Palestine during a Jewish economic boycott of the Nazi regime.

The council also accepted that Keable, who occupied a non-political position, made the comments in a private capacity outside the workplace and did not publish them himself nor make them in a threatening or abusive manner. Nevertheless, Nicholas Austin, the dismissing officer, concluded they were widely circulated, he had been identified as a council employee, and “a reasonable person” would conclude Keable had said Zionists “colluded [or collaborated] with the Holocaust”.

However, the judge whose ruling at first instance was upheld by the employment appeal tribunal in a judgment handed down on Tuesday, said there was no evidence that this was the way Keable’s comments had been interpreted.

She added: “If it was within the range of reasonable responses of a reasonable employer to dismiss an employee in circumstances where they have lawfully exercised their rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, unconnected in any way to the workplace, without using language which was personally abusive, insulting or obscene, and when their views and opinions have, without their consent, been published and caused offence to some, or indeed many people, then there is a very great risk of dismissal to any person who expresses their lawful political views outside the workplace.”

She ordered the council to pay Keable his lost earnings and that he be reinstated to his job – a rare remedy, only used three times in 2016-17 out of 9,039 unfair dismissal claims. The council appealed but a panel at the employment appeal tribunal, led by Judge Katherine Tucker, concluded: “The judge was entitled to conclude that the dismissal was unfair.”

Keable, who was expelled from Labour in 2017 and is secretary of Labour Against the Witchhunt, which was proscribed by the party in July, said: “I want to go back to work. If I’d made offensive remarks at work, we’d be talking a different story. I’m quite willing to accept that some people were offended but that’s not a crime or a sin – it’s a necessary part of free speech.”

Hammersmith and Fulham council said: “As a public body we always expect the highest levels of conduct from our employees. We are therefore disappointed with the judgment.”

The council added that is considering its options with respect to reinstatement. If it refuses to reinstate Keable, it will have to pay him more money.

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Lagos arrests 94 during midnight raid on rail track squatters

The Lagos State Government has arrested 94 persons during a midnight operation on rail track squatters.

The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab announced the operation on X.com on Wednesday.

According to him, the arrest followed complaints from citizens about illegal squatters, miscreants, and suspected criminal activities along rail track corridors.

Wahad said a locally fabricated short gun, several wraps of illicit substances suspected to be Indian hemp, charms, and a jackknife were recovered from the suspects.

He wrote, “In response to complaints from residents, commuters, and concerned citizens about the nefarious activities of illegal squatters, miscreants, and suspected criminal elements along rail track corridors, the agency conducted a midnight raid along the rail track from Pen-Cinema under the bridge up to Fagba Junction.

“Ninety-four suspects were arrested during the operation, and a locally fabricated short gun, several wraps of illicit substances suspected to be Indian hemp, charms, and a jackknife were recovered.

“The suspects will be charged in court accordingly.”

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Okpebholo suspends revenue collection in Edo State

Edo Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has ordered the immediate and indefinite suspension of collection of all revenues in in the state, with particular attention on motor parks and others, until further notice.

According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, Okpebholo also ordered the State Police Commissioner to arrest anyone who flouts the order.

The Governor said he will review the issues surrounding the collections soon and decide on the way forward.

“The collection of revenues in the State has been suspended indefinitely. Anyone seen collecting revenues on behalf of the State Government will be arrested.

“The Commissioner of Police is hereby ordered to arrest anyone who flouts the order and collects any kind of revenues on behalf of the State Government.

“The Governor will soon address the issues and concerns raised. He will issue new directives soon. Until then, no one is authorised to collect revenues on behalf of the State Government,” the statement noted.

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FG to begin payment of pension backlog – Edun

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, says the Federal Government will soon begin payment of pension backlog.

Edun said this during a peaceful rally by the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme Sector (NUPCPS) at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Tuesday.

“We will start next week to pay everything that we can under the current budget as approved by the National Assembly. What has happened now is that there is backlog in terms of contributions and there is a solution.

“There has been a committee under the Office of the Head Of Service which has met the minister of budget, and I. We have a plan for dealing with the backlog under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

“We are committed to paying it. It has to be paid this year. We are committed to doing that starting from next week,” Edun said.

“We have to have a solution that takes care of everybody, and that is being worked on. Its going to be a question of going to the capital market and raising an instrument that allows that backlog to be cleared once and for all.

“We are going to present to the president, a viable solution using the financial market taking care of the huge backlog under the CPS,” Edun said

He reiterated Federal Government’s commitment to pensioners welfare.

“I am not happy that you have had to take this step and I assure you that any time that you or your leaders seek audience with me, I will be available in the office.

“I was not aware of the Nov. 11 deadline, otherwise I will never have allowed a situation like this. In spite of your age, your situation in terms of cost of living, it costs money to come here. I would have avoided that as much as I could,” Edun said.

Speaking earlier during the protest, the National Chairman of NUPCPS, Mr Sylva Nwaiwu, said CPS had never benefited from any increment of the National Minimum Wage Act.

Nwaiwu said that the Federal Government had not released accrued rights for pensioners for over 20 months (since March 2023 till date).

“Our senior citizens are suffering, after using our youthful years to serve our father land and we get this in return. Please use your good office to help us. Some of our members are bedridden and some have died in the struggle. We cannot feed ourselves, take care of our family or take care of our medical bills anymore,” he said.

The chairman said that they had dropped several letters for the minister but none was acknowledged which made the union members to stage this peaceful rally. Nwaiwu, however, commended the president for raising minimum wage.

Mrs Christiana Ubah, a pensioner, said that she retired in 2015 from the budget office of the federation, and could no longer feed herself. ” See how my face is, it is hunger.”

She complained that for six months, her pension had not been paid by African Alliance, saying that the government needs to come to our aid.

“Among us here are people that retired since march last year and have not been paid a kobo. look at how harsh the economy is because of our leaders.

“We do not have anything to live on now, every year they will tell us in the media that pension fund asset has increased, so why are pensioners not paid.

“We have a constitution in the country that every five years salaries will increase and pension will increase too. We want this reflected,” Ubah said.

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