12:15pm Friday 24th February 2006
By Martina Smit
LONDON Mayor Ken Livingstone has been suspended for a month for bringing his office into disrepute with a Nazi jibe.
The Adjudication Panel for England unanimously ruled Mr Living- stone had been "unnecessarily insensitive and offensive" when he likened a Jewish reporter to a "concen- tration camp guard".
His four-week suspension will begin on March 1.
The comment was made after Mr Livingstone accused the reporter of doorstepping him at a party last year.
Offensive
The three-man panel found he breached the Greater London Authority (GLA) code of conduct, damaged his own reputation and that of the office itself.
"His treatment of the journalist was unnecessarily insensitive and offensive," panel president David Laverick said.
"He persisted with a line of comment likening the journalist's job to a concentration camp guard despite being told that the journalist was Jewish and found it offensive to be asked if he was a German war criminal."
The panel accepted that it was "not appropriate" to disqualify the mayor, Mr Laverick added. But it was "concerned" that he seemed to be "unable to accept" that he had breached the GLA's code of conduct, damaged his reputation and that of his office.
"It was his comments that started the matter and thereafter his position seemed to have become all the more entrenched."
Despite widespread pressure, even from prime minister Tony Blair, the mayor has refused repeatedly to apologise.
Mr Livingstone did not appear at the Aeonian Conference Centre to hear the ruling, but his legal team said he would appeal to the High Court.
It is thought he was spending the day with his family.
Last year the mayor was caught on tape asking Evening Standard reporter Oliver Finegold if he was a "German war criminal".
The reporter replied: "No, I'm Jewish, I wasn't a German war criminal. I'm quite offended by that."
To this the mayor said: "Ah right, well you might be, but actually you are just like a concentration camp guard, you are just doing it because you are paid to, aren't you?"
Because he lost the case, Mr Livingstone must pay his own costs - thought to be more than £80,000.
'Absurd'
Nicky Gavron, Deputy Mayor of London said the issue had been blown out of proportion.
"This decision is absurd and strikes at the roots of democracy," she said.
"Millions of Londoners elected the Mayor and three unelected officials remove him.
"An elected Mayor should only be removed by the law or by the electorate. Not by an unelected body."
Sir Robin Wales, chair of the Association of London Government that oversees all 33 boroughs, also called the ruling "outrageous".
He said: "It is entirely wrong that the Mayor be removed from office in these circumstances for any period of time."
But it should never have come to this in the first place, said Jewish Leadership Council president Jeremy Newmark. "A single apology could have avoided months of pain and anguish for survivors of the holocaust in London.
"We hope the mayor will now reflect upon his use of language and attitude towards the Jewish community.
"A five minute conversation has ended in vast expenditure of the tax payer's money."
Baroness Sally Hamwee, chair of the London Assembly, agreed: "The Assembly called on Mr Livingstone at the time to apologise for his remarks. "Had he done so the affair might have died down without so much time and public as well as private money being wasted.
"It has done the reputation of the GLA no good that it had to come to this.
Mr Livingstone's solicitor Tony Child earlier argued there was "no evidence" that he brought his office into disrepute.
He said Mr Livingstone had not intended to offend the Jewish community and was exercising his freedom of speech.
He argued that the mayor may have damaged his own reputation, but not that of his office.
Despite widespread calls urging him to say sorry, a defiant Mr Livingstone has refused to apologise for his remarks.
The mayor claimed that Associated Newspapers, owner of the Evening Standard, had carried out a long campaign against him.
Today the Standard's editor Veronica Wadley said there was "no doubt he (Livingstone) caused offence to many Londoners".
Karen Pollock, head of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said the holocaust survivors she works with were quite upset and still wanted an apology.
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