Dudley Council officer 'cleared' over claims of anti-Semitic posts
A senior council official who was suspended over allegations he posted anti-Semitic material online has been told he has "no case to answer".
Paul Jonson, an anti-social behaviour officer at Labour-controlled Dudley Council, was suspended from work in October for calling Israel a "racist endeavour" in a Facebook post.
But according to union bosses he has now been cleared by the council and told that the accusation of anti-Semitism “will not be recorded against him”.
Mr Jonson is understood to have taken early retirement and is no longer a council employee, but the authority's decision to effectively clear his name has sparked concerns from across the party divide.
Dudley North Labour MP Ian Austin has demanded that Dudley Council explain its decision, while Tory councillor Nicola Richards said she was "shocked".
The council suspended Mr Jonson over a post he made in reference to a protest outside Mr Austin's constituency office, which stated: "Stand with Palestine. Israel is Racist Endeavour!!"
He has since repeated the post.
The phrase is prohibited under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, which both Dudley Council and the Labour Party have adopted in full.
Mr Austin said: "It is perfectly possible to criticise Israel, it's government, their policies or its military without being anti-Semitic, but this man does appear to have repeatedly contravened the internationally accepted definition of anti-Semitism which the council has signed up to.
"I think the council really must explain what has happened here."
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It has also emerged that Mr Jonson was the subject of further allegations of anti-Semitism last month.
Details were sent to council bosses relating to a post he wrote on the blog of anti-Zionist activist Tony Greenstein, who was expelled from the Labour Party earlier this year over "abusive behaviour" and has been suspended from Unison over accusations he broke union rules.
In it Mr Jonson accuses Israel of "desecrating the memory of Holocaust victims by ruthlessly manipulating the horrors to suppress all legitimate criticism of the State of Israel's actions in the illegally occupied territories and Gaza."
He has denied any wrongdoing.
Ms Richards, who represents Kingswinford North and Wall Heath, said: "Mr Jonson repeatedly posted anti-Semitic material online, which went much further than saying “Israel is a racist endeavour".
"I was so pleased when we passed the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism a few years back, and proud that in the council chamber we showed solidarity cross party with the Jewish Community.
"We did not pass the definition too pay lip service to those concerned about rising levels of anti-Semitism – we did it to ensure we could properly and appropriately deal with anti-Semitism in the council should it occur.
"This is sending out the wrong message at a time where anti-Semitic incidents remain at an all time high, and we should be doing everything we can to reassure the Jewish community that Dudley is a great place to live and work."
The council's decision follows a union backed campaign by Labour fringe group Jewish Voice for Labour to clear Mr Jonson's name. They described his suspension as a "direct attack on legitimate free expression".
A statement from the Reinstate Paul Jonson campaign group that was shared by Dudley Trades Union Council, said: "Paul has been found to have no case to answer."
It added: "The slur of anti-Semitism will not be recorded against him."
Dudley Council said it could not officially comment on Mr Jonson's case for legal reasons.
Sarah Norman, the authority's chief executive, said: “The council has dealt with the matter in accordance with its approved disciplinary processes”.
