Green candidate allowed to stand despite suspension for suggesting Israel paid Hamas to carry out October 7 massacre

A Green candidate has been allowed to stand in the local elections despite being suspended for suggesting Israel paid Hamas to carry out the October 7 massacre.

Joe Belcher, who is a candidate for Rushall-Shelfield in Walsall, questioned why Hamas would have ordered the attack on Israeli citizens.

He added: "Why would Hamas commanders order October 7 to then have their territory destroyed and their people killed or displaced from Gaza?

"For money? If so, who offered them this money? The Israel government? If so, the Israel government also sold its own people down the river on Oct 7.”

He was suspended from the Party for his comments and blocked from running for the Aldridge-Brownhills seat in 2024.

Mr Belcher continued that it is “certainly convenient now that Israel can attempt to justify wiping out Palestinians from Gaza and to claim Gaza as Israel”.

Later that month, the Green candidate condemned the October 7 attacks.

He said: "My hunch is the leaders of Israel and Gaza conspired to carry out what happened on 7 Oct for financial gain. But I don’t have any proof. This is why it remains a hunch and nothing more."

It comes after Metropolitan Police officers detained two Green Party council candidates last Thursday over allegations of antisemitic content posted on social media.

Saiqa Ali, aged 57 and seeking election in Streatham, south London, along with 54-year-old Sabine Mairey, who is standing in Clapham Town, were both taken into custody on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.

Ali had previously issued an apology in April for "any offence or distress" her online remarks may have caused, stating she "unequivocally rejects antisemitism in all its forms."

She maintained her posts were meant to express concern regarding the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Labour MPs warned against 'doomscrolling through leaders' amid plot to pressure Keir Starmer
• Green Party prints election campaign leaflets in SIX different languages
• MAPPED: All Green-voting areas where Reform could open migrant detention centres under latest pledge

Several posts have subsequently been removed and her accounts set to private.

A party spokesman indicated the content did not reflect Green Party positions and confirmed an investigation was underway.

In a separate development on Friday, Newcastle candidate Tina Ion was referred to disciplinary proceedings following posts on Threads, where she used the username "thereal.anne.frank" and demanded that "every single Zionist" be killed.

Her posts also described Zionists as "vermin" and "rats."

Ms Ion characterised the material as "isolated fragments" when speaking to the BBC, dismissing accusations of antisemitism and insisting her remarks targeted political ideology rather than religion.

Newcastle's Green Party responded by withdrawing its backing for her candidacy.

They declared themselves "appalled by the racist material written and shared" by Ion.

The local party confirmed it was examining its vetting procedures.

He said: "Robust action is needed."

GB News has reached out to the Greens for comment.

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter