A cllr suspended by the Aspire party over a series of antisemitic social media posts still remains a member of the ruling Aspire group on Tower Hamlets Council, it has emerged.
Abul Monsur, who was elected to represent Lansbury ward in May, was suspended from Aspire party membership on 30 April pending an investigation into a number of Facebook posts made before his election.
The posts reportedly included content appearing to question the Holocaust, expressing support for Adolf Hitler and former British National Party leader Nick Griffin, as well as sharing conspiracy theories associated with far-right antisemitic narratives.
Despite the suspension, Tower Hamlets Council has confirmed that Cllr Monsur remains listed as a member of the Aspire group on the authority’s website.
A council spokesperson said the suspension from the political party was separate from membership of the council’s Aspire group. They said: “Tower Hamlets Council has been informed that Cllr Abul Monsur has been suspended from the Aspire political party.
“This is different from membership of the Aspire Group on the council, which is why he is listed as an Aspire member on the website.”
Aspire suspended Cllr Monsur from party membership on 30 April pending an investigation into the social media posts. However, by that point, the deadline to withdraw him as an election candidate had already passed, and he went on to win a seat in Lansbury ward on 7 May.
Following the election, Aspire representatives said that Cllr Monsur remained suspended from party membership and was “not Aspire”. However, the council website still lists him as an Aspire councillor.
The council also said that while Cllr Monsur remains a member of the Aspire group, he has been suspended from internal group activities.
A spokesperson added: “We have been informed he has been suspended from group activities such as attending group meetings and discussions. He has also not been appointed to any committees.”
Cllr Monsur continues to hold ward surgeries alongside Lansbury’s two other Aspire councillors and recently appeared with them on Bengali-language channel iON TV.
Neither Aspire nor Cllr Monsur responded to requests for comment.
Updated by Yashvi Jain
