Labor candidate for Mayor of London expects Jews won't vote for him as they're high earners and he's anti-Israel

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3/29/12, "Former London mayor forced to apologize over controversial remarks to Jewish activists," Haaretz.com, Anshel Pfeffer

"U.K. Labour party candidate for London mayor, Ken Livingstone, told party activists at a meeting this month he did not expect Jews to vote for him as they are predominantly high-earners, and 'I am against Israel, not against Zionists.'"

"The Labour party's candidate for the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has been forced to apologize for controversial remarks he made earlier this month in a meeting with central Jewish party activists.

The former two-term mayor who is attempting to return to office in the May 3 elections has a long history of tension with London's Jewish community. The apology was agreed upon in a meeting Wednesday night between Labour Leader Ed Miliband and the Jewish Leadership Council with the precise wording being a subject of lengthy negotiations.

The latest round of recriminations was triggered by a closed meeting four weeks ago between Livingstone and a group of local Jewish leaders, including veteran Labour supporters, rabbis and pro-Israel lobbyists. The aim of the meeting was an attempt to establish common ground between the mayoral candidate and Jewish Labour supporters who have been finding it increasingly difficult to support him and to urge other Jewish Londoners to vote Labour in the upcoming elections....

The list of grievances between Livingstone and the British capital's Jews is long and varied. As mayor, he enraged Israel's supporters in July 2005, only two weeks after the multiple suicide bombing attacks on London's public transport, when he justified the Palestinians' use of such a tactic saying, "Given that the Palestinians don't have jet planes, don't have tanks, they only have their bodies to use as weapons," and that Israel's actions "border on crimes against humanity."

Livingstone had welcomed Egyptian cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qardawi at City Hall, who approved of suicide attacks against Israeli citizens since they are all soldiers in his eyes."...

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3/19/12, "Ken Livingstone: I will make London a beacon of Islam," UK Telegraph, A. Gilligan

"Ken Livingstone has promised to turn London into a “beacon” for the words of the Prophet Mohammed in a sermon at one of the capital’s most controversial mosques.

Mr Livingstone, Labour’s candidate for mayor of London, pledged to “educate the mass of Londoners” in Islam, saying: “That will help to cement our city as a beacon that demonstrates the meaning of the words of the Prophet.” Mr Livingstone described Mohammed’s words in his last sermon as “an agenda for all humanity.”

He praised the Prophet’s last sermon, telling his audience: “I want to spend the next four years making sure that every non-Muslim in London knows and understands [its] words and message.” He also promised

• to “make your life a bit easier financially.”

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11/12/2009, "British Muslim radicals want to take over the UK and turn Buckingham Palace into a mosque. From CNN International." You Tube video

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