Calls for Sheffield Green Party councillor to be suspended over "antisemitic" social media posts
Mayor Coppard said he was “disappointed” and called for the Green Party to take “strong and serious action on antisemitism.”
Calls have been made for a Sheffield Green councillor to be suspended over “antisemitic” Facebook posts.
Councillor Mustafa Ahmed has represented Burngreave for Sheffield City Council since his election in May this year.
The Jewish Chronicle revealed yesterday (November 9), that Coun Ahmed posted on Facebook days after the October 7 Hamas attacks, writing “you alone will bear the shame of supporting the Jews".
Coun Ahmed has "rejected" the article, saying: "I stand firmly against antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of racism. Justice for Palestinians and the safety and dignity of Jewish people are not competing causes. I will always stand for both."
However, Sheffield Liberal Democrats and South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard have both called out what they call "antisemitism."
Mayor Coppard said he was “disappointed” and called for the Green Party to take “strong and serious action on antisemitism.”
The post was written in Arabic, but the English translation reads: “Supporting a disbeliever against a Muslim is apostasy” and “don't be more Jewish than the Jews!”
A spokesperson for the Green Party said: “Coun Ahmed has deleted and deeply regrets a 2023 Facebook post which he says does not accurately reflect his views in the English translation.”
The Chronicle claims that during Iran strikes on Israel in June 2025, Coun Ahmed shared a video to TikTok showing Tel Aviv in flames, accompanied by a song containing a prayer against Jews.
The prayer, which can be heard in the video, includes the line: “O Allah, deal with the criminal Zionists. O Allah, deal with the aggressor Jews.”
The video included footage of damage in the Israeli city of Rishon Lezion, where two people died following Iranian missile strikes, as well as AI-generated footage showing Tel Aviv buildings in flames.
An English translation of the video caption read: “Tel Aviv all praise is due to Allah a victory from Allah."
Councillor Martin Smith, leader of the Sheffield Liberal Democrat Group, said: "These are deeply disturbing revelations and a clear failure of the Green Party's candidate vetting."
He references that The Greens had called out Councillor Nathaniel Menday, who was elected for Reform UK in May but was suspended from the party within a matter of days when deleted social media posts emerged appearing to celebrate fascism and depicting Nazi imagery like the swastika.
"The Greens were right to call out Nathaniel Menday for his racist social media posts. Reform eventually suspended him, and the Greens must now apply the same standards to their own councillor," Coun Smith said.
Speaking to a South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority committee meeting on November 10, Mayor Coppard echoed this view.
He said: "People are allowed to change their position. I hope that people, when they are saying things that are antisemitic, get the training, get the support, learn and change their view.
“I’m a Jewish person. That's me, that's my family."
Speaking to Councillor Luke Goddard of Reform UK, Mayor Coppard continued: "Reform faced a similar problem with Councillor Menday in Sheffield who posted antisemitic comments referring to Hitler and Mein Kampf.
"To Reform's credit, you stood that councillor down from the party and ejected him from your party.
"You did the right thing, and I would like to see the Green Party take strong and serious action on antisemitism, prove to the Jewish community in this city, as small as it is, that they absolutely understand their concerns and their fears."
Liberal Democrat councillor Rob Reiss, said: "The Greens must immediately suspend Coun Ahmed pending a full investigation.
“If they are serious about standing with Sheffield's Jewish community, they need to demonstrate it with actions, not just words."
Coun Ahmed is a vocal pro-Palestinian campaigner and an open supporter of his party’s controversial ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion.
The motion, approved at the Green Party conference in early October has been widely condemned as antisemitic, including by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Sheffield City Council leader Fran Belbin.
A Green Party spokesperson added Coun Ahmed “has deleted the post and deeply regrets” the 2023 Facebook post.
The party source explained that the councillor was quoting Palestinian writer, Adham Sharkawi, who was calling for “unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian cause”.
They said: “The Green Party has processes in place to look into views expressed by members that do not align with Green Party values.”
Coun Ahmed said in response to the article: “I strongly reject the Jewish Chronicle’s deeply unfair portrayal of me and any suggestion that I harbour hatred towards Jewish people or celebrate violence against innocent people.
"I stand firmly against antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of racism. Justice for Palestinians and the safety and dignity of Jewish people are not competing causes. I will always stand for both.”