Re-instated Plaid member accused of promoting anti-Semitism

The Board of Deputies of British Jews has called on Plaid Cymru to expel a party member they accuse of promoting anti-Semitism.

They urged party leader Adam Price to show he is "serious about anti-Semitism" by "permanently excluding" Sahar Al-Faifi from Plaid.

It follows her now deleted Twitter post linking police violence in the United States with Israel.

She said the tweet was based on a report which was later corrected.

Plaid Cymru said the party was "investigating" the social media post.

Plaid's statement added: "The party is committed to challenging all forms of discrimination."

In November 2019, Ms Al-Faifi was suspended from Plaid Cymru after social media posts re-emerged, which she admitted crossed the boundary into anti-Semitism.

Speaking at the time, Ms Al-Faifi said: "I deleted the tweets more than five years ago, and issued an apology to Jewish organisations and others.

"I have also undertaken anti-Semitism training, both formally through the Board of Deputies and informally with Jewish colleagues in order to ensure I never repeat the same mistakes."

She was reinstated as a party member in February after a Plaid Cymru panel found "there was no need for sanctions".

Following the death of George Floyd in police custody in the USA, Saha Al-Faifi posted a tweet at the beginning of June saying: "If you wonder where did these American cops trained, look no further than Israel. Oppression is one and the struggle is transitional."

In an email to Mr Price, the Board of Deputies said they believed Ms Al-Faifi had taken the lifting of her party suspension "as a signal that she has carte blanche to continue to promote such conspiracy theories".

Senior Vice President Sheila Gewolb said: "The attempt to blame Israel for terrible situations in other countries is regarded by many in the Jewish community as anti-Semitic.

"We would urge you, as the leader of Plaid Cymru, to show that you are serious about anti-Semitism and Ms Al-Faifi in particular by permanently excluding her from the party.

"She has had too many chances already and it is clear that she will not change.

"By allowing her to again get away with it, Plaid Cymru would be sending a very negative message to the UK's Jewish community."

Plaid's candidate for Cardiff Central in the 2021 Senedd election, William Rees, said on Twitter last week: "Having already expressed concerns internally regarding Sahar Al-Faifi last year, I shall do so again tomorrow following further posts.

"This saga has gone on for far too long, and I hope Adam Price and our NEC [National Executive Committee] show leadership on this issue."

Sahar Al-Faifi said in a statement: "My tweet on 1st of June 2020 was based on [an] Amnesty USA report from 2016 titled: 'Where do many police departments train? In Israel.'

"Amnesty made a clarification, four years after the report, on 25th of June 2020, stating that the Israeli state is one of the countries where American policemen trained.

"Subsequently, my tweet was deleted."

"I understand the fear of [the] Jewish community and I would like to assure them that I stand firmly with them against anti-Semitism as I am committed to work with them for more just, welcoming and inclusive Wales for all."