North Yorkshire Council leader calls for former Harrogate mayor to consider future following ‘antisemitic’ comments

The leader of North Yorkshire Council has called on a long-serving councillor to consider her position as an elected community representative over ‘antisemitic’ comments she made on social media.
By Stuart Minting, Local Democracy Reporting Service
Published 20th Feb 2024, 09:20 BST
Updated 20th Feb 2024, 15:37 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Councillor Carl Les, leader of the authority’s Conservative group, said Councillor Pat Marsh had been a senior member of the Liberal Democrats group until the comments came to light, rather than a novice councillor who had made a mistake.

Councillor Les said: “I think the tweets she has made may be criminal, that’s for others to investigate and decide.

"I would think she should consider her position.

Carl Les has called for long-serving councillor Pat Marsh to consider her future following her ‘antisemitic’ commentsCarl Les has called for long-serving councillor Pat Marsh to consider her future following her ‘antisemitic’ comments
Carl Les has called for long-serving councillor Pat Marsh to consider her future following her ‘antisemitic’ comments

"The comments I have seen are outrageous and offensive.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I understand a number of complaints have been made to the monitoring officer.

"I don’t follow Pat Marsh’s Twitter account so I haven’t seen these before, but I understand there is a number of them.”

Councillor Les, who has led the authority since 2015, has previously underlined he understands prejudice having grown up as the son of a refugee from Poland and wants North Yorkshire to be a multi-cultural and a welcoming place for all.

He said: “There is no place in our society, in our county or in our council for discrimination, prejudice or hate in any form.”

Related topics:Pat MarshHarrogateLiberal DemocratsNorth YorkshirePolandTwitter

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.