A Dundee SNP conduct committee member has apologised “profusely” for anti-Semitic social media posts and resigned from the party.
Denise Findlay told The Courier she was sorry for any offence she caused the Jewish community after posts surfaced on Twitter in which she equated Israel with Nazis.
Ms Findlay was elected to the party’s conduct committee during the annual conference in October and was due to investigate suspended Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath candidate Neale Hanvey over his own alleged anti-Semitic posts.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism includes comparing the actions of the Israeli government as the same as those of Nazi Germany, which systematically murdered more than six million Jews over the 1930s and 1940s.
In one tweet, posted on July 19, Ms Findlay posted: “Israel with its treatment of Palestinians and latest apartheid laws is Nazi. It is not anti-Semitic to call Israel a Nazi state.”
After her resignation was revealed by Channel 4 news on Wednesday evening, Ms Findlay told The Courier: “When I tweeted about Israel and compared them to Nazis, I did not know that was anti-Semitic.
“I am profusely sorry and I now fully understand that what I said was hurtful to the Jewish community. I still believe you should be able to criticise the Israeli government for their actions in Palestine.
“I am not a politician and was not aware of the IHRA definition. I do know now and realise I made a mistake. I am really sorry.”
Former Fife SNP councillor Hanvey will still appear on the ballot paper next Thursday beside the SNP logo.
The party has dropped all support for him and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asked party members not to support him.
A crowdfunder was set up in the wake of Hanvey’s suspension, which breached its target within a day.
Immediately following his drop from the SNP, Hanvey released a statement, which he “apologised unreservedly” for the hurt he had caused with his posts and that he supported the decision to suspend him.
Hanvey shared an article from Russian-state “news” network Sputnik, which contained an image of Jewish investor George Soros “controlling world leaders like a puppet master” – a known anti-Semitic trope.
A spokesperson for the SNP said: “There is no place for anti-Semitism in Scotland or in the SNP.
“All political parties have a duty to show leadership and we will always take tough action to reassure the Jewish community these matters are taken seriously.
“When challenged on her actions, Denise Findlay resigned from the SNP.
“The views she expressed are entirely at odds with the ethos of this party.”
The Scottish Government adopted the IHRA working definition on anti-Semitism in April 2017.
