Green Party backs Derbyshire County Council election candidate accused by Tories of inflaming 'antisemitic feeling'
The Green Party has revealed it is not launching an investigation after one of its Derbyshire County Council election candidates was accused by the Derbyshire Conservatives of risking ‘inflaming tensions and antisemitic feeling’ with social media and Facebook posts.
Frank Adlington-Stringer, Green Party election candidate for the Shirland and Wingerworth South division, has dismissed claims from Chairman Robert Flatley, of the Derbyshire Area Conservative Party, and despite calls from Mr Flatley for an investigation the Green Party confirmed Mr Adlington-Stringer has their backing and there will be no investigation.
Mr Flatley accused Mr Adlington-Stringer in a letter to the Green Party of posting videos allegedly espousing ‘divisive, conspiratorial rhetoric’ by allegedly stating the USA is a terrorist organisation, that Israel created Hamas, and that Israel’s function is to serve America’s interests in the region.
But Mr Adlington-Stringer, who is a NE Derbyshire District Councillor for Wingerworth and who has repeatedly expressed concerns for the lives of innocent civilians, said: “I have never spoken out of line on party policy and I am confident that none of my comments are inflammatory or critical of people, just Governments.
He added: “I have always wanted to find that we are absolutely protecting people instead of going down the slippery slope that people have.”
Mr Flatley claims social media statements made over a year ago were made ‘flippantly’ while Mr Adlington-Stringer was making an avocado sandwich and that such alleged comments reflect an ‘unserious and dangerous approach’ and that the ‘tone and content’ of these posts do not reflect the behaviour of someone fit to hold public office and they risk inflaming tensions and antisemitic feeling.
He added: “Public representatives have a responsibility to show compassion, judgement, and basic decency. Mr Adlington-Stringer’s actions fall well short of these expectations. He is not fit to represent your party, and certainly not the people of North East Derbyshire.”
Mr Flatley also claims in his letter that on the day Hamas launched a terrorist assault that killed over 1,200 Israeli civilians and injured thousands more on October 7, 2023, Mr Adlington-Stringer posted a Palestinian flag on social media accompanied only by green, red, and black heart emojis.
He also cites other relevant posts including two entitled ‘An American Terror Sandwich’ played out to music but Mr Adlington-Stringer has also posted his deeply held concerns for the loss of innocent lives and various reasons why he feels such views do not represent antisemitic behaviour.
Mr Flatley claims Mr Adlington-Stringer’s comments and behaviour bring the Green Party into disrepute and he called for the Green Party to launch an investigation into the conduct, to clarify whether these views align with those of Green Party policy, and for the Green Party to ‘strongly consider’ removing him as a candidate for public office which the Green Party has dismissed.
Mr Adlington-Stringer has made several posts reflecting views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on his Facebook page dated between October 2023 and October 2024.
During two posts entitled ‘American Terrorist Sandwich’ Mr Adlington-Stringer suggests that America is intent on dividing the world to retain its place as the chief political power, and that US, UK and Israeli policy has largely led to the creation of so-called terrorist organisations.
In the second ‘American Terror Sandwich’ post, Mr Adlington-Stringer says: “The US defines terrorism as violent acts committed by individuals or groups to further their ideological goals and all I can say is that is exactly how they have behaved. The US is a terrorist state.”
And in a further Facebook post Mr Adlington-Stringer argues it is not antisemitic behaviour to ‘call out’ Israel and he gives various reasons why he feels certain views do not represent antisemitic behaviour.
He argues it is not antisemitic to ‘call out a racist, genocidal, apartheid state’ or ‘breaches of international law or human rights abuses’ or ‘the destruction of towns and villages, the murder of thousands of people and the displacement of thousands more’.
Mr Adlington-Stringer also argues it is not antisemitic to highlight Israeli police forces ‘brutalising and humiliating innocent Palestinians’, to condemn ‘co-ordinated attacks on hospitals in Gaza’ and to be sickened by the ‘torture of children by the Israeli state’ and to disapprove of ‘US meddling’ in the Middle East’.
He also explained he is openly critical of anyone who takes lives including Hamas, which he distinguishes from Palestine, and his motivation is to find a way to create peace for everybody and spread a message of hope and compassion and that he has expressed deep sympathy for the Israeli lives lost on October 7, 2023.
Mr Adlington-Stringer added his social media posts are aimed at engaging with as many people as possible including more youngsters and they are about making politics more engaging and he does not think making a sandwich at the same time as making his comments is a crime and that such criticism is what puts people off coming into politics.
He said: “It’s baseless and politically motivated and we are having this conversation less than a week before the elections.
“It looks like I will take the seat of the county council leader and they are trying to do everything they can, and instead of talking to the community they are scrolling through my social media making scurrilous claims against me.”
He added: “Anyone who stands up for unity is immediately attacked and I do not see why they think they can stand for the moral high ground.”
Mr Adlington-Stringer in his role as a NE Derbyshire District Councillor has previously put forward a motion for the district council to call on the Government to support a ceasefire in Gaza whilst the district council works to tackle local discrimination and racism in the wake of the conflict but this was met with silence from district council colleagues.
He said he wants the Government to listen to the international court and respond to international law where the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is concerned.
Mr Adlngton-Stringer added : “I stand by all of my comments. They are researched and I have a politics, international relations degree and I do not just make claims off the cuff and I stand by it all.”
A Green Party spokesperson, who confirmed there is to be no investigation into the matter, said: “These are historical complaints being resurrected by a political opponent at an election for their own electoral purposes.
“The Green Party abhors antisemitism, is clear that the Hamas attacks on October 7 (2023) were a terrorist atrocity and recognises Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide.”
Conservative County Council Leader, Cllr Barry Lewis, is standing for the Shirland and Wingerworth South seat in the May 1 county election against the Green Party’s Frank Adlington-Stringer, Labour’s Bob Cushing,, Independent Heather Liggett and Reform UK’s Paul Parkin.