Warwick District Council: Leamington councillor in firing line over response to pro-Palestinian protestors

Portfolio holder for arts, culture and economy Councillor Ella Billiald (Green, Leamington Willes) endured a hard time when questioned by Councillor Sam Jones (Independent, Warwick All Saints & Woodloes), passing up the opportunity to clarify her stance on the conflict in the Middle East.

It comes on the back of Justice for Palestinians in Leamington asking the council to blank out Israel’s entry when it puts on its annual screening of the Eurovision Song Contest in the Pump Room Gardens on Saturday May 16.

The matter was raised at February’s full council meeting with Cllr Billiald confirming that “no specific measures” were in place but that the right to peaceful protest would be upheld as it had been in previous years.

At that same meeting, leader Councillor Ian Davison (Green, Leamington Brunswick) acknowledged that Justice for Palestinians had made the case “very cogently”, stating he had found it “difficult” and that “emotionally, I kind of support what they’re saying”.

However, concerns that the authority could be “accused of being antisemitic” and the risk of setting a precedent had influenced thinking.

Cllr Jones picked up the baton at this week’s full council meeting, quoting an email sent by Cllr Billiald to Justice for Palestinians.

He alleged that the portfolio holder had said that not showing Israel’s entry “could be viewed as a double standard applied uniquely to the world’s only Jewish state” and that “this would align with recognised forms of antisemitism”.

Cllr Jones argued: “You say this yet your own national party officially supports the boycott.

"Your national leader Zack Polanski, who is himself Jewish, has stated that conflating the state of Israel and the Jewish faith is deeply problematic and makes Jewish people less safe, a sentiment I wholly agree with."

He then cited the district’s position, signed off back in 2020, that it is not antisemitic to criticise the Israeli government or to hold it to account.

He then asked: “Since you are disregarding the official position of your own national party and the resolution put in place by this very council for this very application, how can the residents of Warwick district have confidence in your judgement?"

Cllr Billiald made a point of stating that his “very passionate question” had not been submitted in advance and referred back to her statement from the previous meeting.

“I am not prepared to add any more to that,” she said.

“Our officers have taken legal advice and they need to make that operational decision as officers.

"We absolutely protect the right to peaceful protest as a council.”

Cllr Jones followed up by questioning Cllr Billiald’s own position.

“I accept the premise of where you’re going with this but we also resolved our position on antisemitism in 2020 and renewed that resolution last July with the motion on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank,” he added.

“Why is that something you have not spoken out against in the past?”

Cllr Billiald replied: “Our safety advisory group (SAG) met on March 23 and again I will reiterate that I have just received this question, not in advance.

“The plan is for the event to go ahead with the right to peaceful protest.”

That swerve was picked up by Councillor Bill Gifford (Lib Dem, Leamington Milverton) who uttered in the background: “That’s not much of an answer.”