Exposed: Labour Party forced councillors into silence on Gaza by threatening discipline
'Uncomradely' behaviour and formal warnings for being anti-genocide.
This article was originally published by Novara Media on instagram.
A former Labour politician was threatened with disciplinary action for raising concerns about his council's investments in the arms trade and about its ties to a cult-like religious group, Novara Media can reveal.
On Wednesday Lewisham councillor Liam Shrivastava jumped ship to the Green party along with Haringey councillor Mark Blake, over Labour's stance on Gaza and benefits cuts. The Greens are targeting disillusioned left-wing voters in the capital ahead of next year's local elections.
In October 2024 by which time the Lancet estimated 70,000 killed in Gaza, Shrivastava made a proposal for Lewisham council to "explore its exposure, proximity and investment" in companies involved in the arms trade, human rights abuses and illegal occupations, "with a view to review and update its responsible investment policy to move away from such investments".
In response, councillor Eva Stamirowski, Lewisham Labour group chief whip, sent Shrivastava a “formal warning regarding your behaviour" which "threatened to bring the party into disrepute".
Stamirowski reprimanded Shrivastava for his supposedly dishonest claim that "political discussions have been suppressed" and warned "any additional breaches of your contract may result in further disciplinary action, which may include the withdrawal of the Labour group whip."
In his resignation statement, Shrivastava said: "The members that bring Labour into disrepute are the ministers who continue to facilitate Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people".
Earlier that month Shrivastava had been threatened with the whip for raising concerns about the council's links to a cult-like religious group.
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) is an evangelical protestant Church which has been accused of pressuring its members to donate large amounts of money, encouraging them to cut ties with friends and family, telling them that their mental health issues or sexuality were caused by demon possession, and showing them images of dead bodies as a warning of what happens if they leave. (The Church has said that its former members "promote hatred" against the church and "vilify" its beliefs)
Shrivastava wrote to Lewisham mayor Brenda Dacres after the council nominated the group for a community award and was involved in an "interfaith walk for peace".
Dacres responded by giving Shrivastava a telling off for his "uncomradely" behaviour and said, "I would very much welcome the opportunity to meet with you and the Chief Whip to remind you of what is expected as a member of this group."'
The Labour party previously subjected another Lewisham councillor, Hau-Yu Tam, to a disciplinary proceeding accusing her of organising a protest at a council meeting in November 2023, which she denies. The council had refused to discuss a motion submitted by Tam to support a ceasefire in Gaza.
Tam was given a formal warning despite finding that she did not organise a protest. She told Novara Media that it had a "chilling effect" on dissent among local Labour councillors which had been building at the time.
"I think because I got suspended, first of all it had an impact on my voice but collectively it had a chilling effect on how people were willing to speak up. Some who were on the fence stopped speaking completely and some who were more strategic became more canny."
Tam left Labour in July 2024 and sat as an independent socialist councillor before joining the Green party.
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