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"Elected
politicians should only be able to be removed by the voters or for
breaking the law," said Livingstone.
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CAIRO,
February 25, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – The suspension of London Mayor
Ken Livingstone for four weeks for comparing a Jewish reporter to a Nazi
concentration camp guard triggered an immediate constitutional row,
reported the Guardian on Saturday, February 25.
"An
elected mayor should only be removed by the law or by an election,"
said Nicky Gavron, the deputy mayor who will take over if Livingstone
is forced to stand down.
"Millions
of Londoners elect the mayor and three unelected officials have removed
him," said Ms Gavron, the daughter of a Jewish refugee from Nazi
Germany.
The
Adjudication Panel for England – a government-appointed panel which
hears complaints against local authority members – ruled on Friday,
February 24, that Livingstone should be suspended for four weeks
starting March 1.
The
three-man panel said Livingstone's remarks to Oliver Finegold, a
reporter for the London Evening Standard, on February 8 last year
had been "unnecessarily insensitive and offensive."
David
Laverick, the panel's chair, said they did not think it appropriate to
disqualify the mayor from office, but were concerned he had failed to
appreciate his conduct was unacceptable and damaging to his office.
Livingstone,
60, immediately criticized the panel's ruling as one that "strikes
at the heart of democracy."
He
can appeal but is liable for costs estimated at up to 80,000 pounds
(117,000 euros, 139,000 dollars).
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This decision constitutes a clear over reaction and an affront to our democratic traditions, said Sir Sacranie.
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The
suspension also drew fire from unions and MPs.
"It
is outrageous that an unelected body of three men has deprived seven
million Londoners of their elected mayor for four weeks," said Tony
Woodley, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union.
"Whilst
many had wanted Ken Livingstone to apologize, suspension for such a long
period seems to me to be totally disproportionate and serves no other
purpose than to disrupt the work of the [Greater London] authority at a
time when London needs it most.
"We
will support London's mayor in whatever measures he may take to
challenge this scandal."
Andrew
Dismore, chair of London's Labour MPs, seemed to agree.
"It
is for the people of London to decide who should or should not be the
mayor of London, not an unelected panel of bureaucrats."
Jenny
Jones, a Green party London assembly member, said she was "outraged
that this system allows three undemocratically appointed individuals to
suspend a man who was elected by the vote of millions of
Londoners".
Livingstone
won election to the newly created post of mayor in 2000 after leaving
Blair's Labour Party and defeating the Labour's candidate.
He
later returned to the party, but has frequently clashed with Blair,
leading marches against the US-led invasion of Iraq.
Blow
to Democracy
The
sizable Muslim minority blasted the suspension as a blow to democracy.
"This
decision constitutes a clear over reaction and an affront to our
democratic traditions," said Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the secretary
general of the umbrella Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).
"He
[ Livingstone] is a committed anti-racist campaigner of longstanding. We
are proud to stand by him and hope to see this ridiculous verdict
overturned shortly."
The
MCB reiterated "fullest support for Mayor Livingstone in his
efforts to promote security, prosperity and cohesion between London's
diverse ethnic and religious communities."
The
Muslim Association of Britain also echoed a similar position, saying it
was "appalled" by the decision to suspend Livingstone.
"Londoners
must decry this decision against Mr Livingstone whose achievements and
service of the city of London are appreciated and recognized by
everyone, friend or foe," the group said on its Web site.
It
asserted that under his leadership, "unprecedented steps were made
towards establishing London as a model city of achievement,
multiculturalism and diversity."
Livingstone
was widely praised last year for guiding London's successful bid for the
2012 Olympics and for his handling of suicide bomb attacks on the city's
transport network in which 52 commuters died in addition to four
bombers.
He
is further known for being anti-racist campaigner and a staunch defender
of minority rights in Britain.
Earlier
in February, he led several thousands of Muslim demonstrators in a
central London rally to protest Danish cartoons that mocked Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
He
also rallied behind Muslim women's right to wear hijab, criticizing
France for banning the Muslim dress code and religious symbols in state
schools in 2004.
