Labour suspends ex-London mayor Livingstone over Hitler remarks

Former mayor defended Labour MP Naz Shah who was suspended for sharing allegedly anti-Semitic posts on social media

LONDON: Britain's opposition Labour Party on Thursday suspended former London mayor Ken Livingstone after he said Hitler supported Zionism, in a furious row over anti-Semitism that is dividing the party.

"Ken Livingstone has been suspended by the Labour Party, pending an investigation, for bringing the party into disrepute," a Labour spokesperson said.

Livingstone told BBC Radio London: "When Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews".

Listen to Ken Livingstone's controversial comments to Vanessa Feltz this morning... https://t.co/nqgvQC0kau pic.twitter.com/ga4r2zjuMe

— BBC Radio London (@BBCRadioLondon) April 28, 2016

Former Mayor Ken Livingstone has been suspended by the Labour Party over comments made on the Vanessa Feltz Breakfast Show this morning.

— BBC Radio London (@BBCRadioLondon) April 28, 2016

He was defending Labour MP Naz Shah, who was suspended on Wednesday for sharing allegedly anti-Semitic posts on social media.

I am truly sorry and I will be putting out a more detailed explanation later. pic.twitter.com/x74FDKNCJE

— Naz Shah MP (@NazShahBfd) April 26, 2016

"I have been in the Labour Party for 40 years and I have never heard anyone say anything anti-Semitic.

"I have heard a lot of criticism for the state of Israel and its abuse of Palestinians, but I have never heard someone be anti-Semitic," he added.