Faiza Shaheen, expelled from the Labour Party, claimed she faced “a systematic campaign of racism, Islamophobia and bullying from some within the party,” according to The Independent.
Shaheen stated that she was considering legal action against the party after it barred her from running in the general election on Wednesday.
I have not experienced this level of relentless hostility in all my personal or professional life – not even from the Conservatives.
The Labour Party was already under pressure after veteran MP Diane Abbott revealed she had been banned from running for the party again, prompting accusations of a left-wing purge.
Previously, Shaheen was to face off against former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan-Smith in the Chingford and Woodford Green seat election. Many predicted she would win on July 4. She was also vying for a Labour Party seat in 2019.
However, she announced abruptly on Wednesday that the party had suspended her after she liked social media posts criticising Israel and its actions in Gaza. Shaheen added that she had also condemned the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and organised picketing with rabbis and imams.
I am heartbroken at this decision but it does not come as a surprise. It is the end of a systemic campaign of racism, Islamophobia and bullying from some within the party which began when I first announced I wanted to run for Labour again.
She claimed that the party banned her from speaking publicly about racism. The MP also lost her position as a paid party organiser when she was seven months pregnant. Officials also allegedly told her to “curb the attitude” when she suggested that Labour did not take Muslim issues seriously enough.
This is not the end of my story and I will be releasing all the detail of what happened to me publicly. It’s been a mad day and I’m very upset, but I’m touched by all the support.
On Thursday night, the party selected Shama Tatler, a member of the Jewish Labour Movement, as its candidate for the Chingford and Woodford Green seat instead of Faiza Shaheen.
