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Britain
'Red Ken' Called To Task
2005-08-31
London Mayor Ken Livingstone will face a disciplinary hearing for comparing a Jewish journalist to a Nazi concentration camp guard, England's local government watchdog said Tuesday.

The Standards Board for England said an investigation into charges that Livingstone "failed to treat others with respect and brought his authority into disrepute" had concluded that a disciplinary hearing should take up the matter.

The Adjudication Panel for England, which will conduct the hearing, could bar Livingstone from office for up to five years, censure him, order him to apologize or force him to undergo training, said a spokesman for the Standards Board.

The outspoken mayor has refused to say he was sorry for the comment, which drew calls for contrition from Holocaust survivors, the government's race-relations watchdog and even Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The mayor said he had not meant to offend the Jewish community when he asked Evening Standard reporter Oliver Finegold whether he had been a "German war criminal."

Finegold, who had approached the mayor for comment after a reception for the gay and lesbian community in February, replied that he was Jewish. Livingstone told the reporter he was "just like a concentration camp guard. You're just doing it because you're paid to, aren't you?" He referred to Finegold's employer as "a load of scumbags and reactionary bigots."
Posted by:Anonymoose

#2  I think the reaction is almost as wrong as Red Ken's insult. People including politician's should have the right to say stupid things. And in the case of politicians, voters should have the right to kick their sorry ass out of office.
Posted by: DMFD   2005-08-31 21:09  

#1  Nothing will come of this. He will get a free ride. He will be spared even a mild rebuke. After it was "only a Jew" who was insulted.
Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom   2005-08-31 20:10  

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