A newly elected Muslim Green Party councillor in Leeds has issued a public apology for any "upset caused" following his viral local election victory speech, during which he thanked Allah and dedicated his win to the people of Palestine. The speech, paired with chants of "Allahu Akbar," quickly ignited intense right-wing backlash, drew formal condemnation from political figures, and prompted complaints from Jewish community representatives over his resurfaced social media commentary regarding the conflict in Gaza.
Mothin Ali, a 42-year-old accountant and father of three who also runs a gardening blog in his spare time, secured his seat in the local elections on May 3. Running for the Green Party in the Gipton and Harehills ward of Leeds, Mr. Ali captured more than 3,000 votes to win the council seat. Following the announcement of his electoral success, he delivered a short victory speech captured on video that quickly circulated across various social media platforms, including X.
In the recording of his victory speech, Mr. Ali thanked Allah and dedicated his political triumph to Palestine, declaring to the cheering crowd of supporters, many of whom were Muslim: "We will not be silenced. We will raise the voice of Gaza. We will raise the voice of Palestine." He also chanted "Allahu Akbar!" as supporters gathered around him to celebrate.
However, the celebratory moment swiftly triggered a fierce wave of media scrutiny and online criticism from prominent right-wing figures and commentators. Trevor Kavanagh, writing for The Sun, condemned the video during an appearance on Talk TV, describing the scene by saying, "It was really unpleasant seeing someone angrily shouting in the name of Allah… this is a very sinister development for British democracy!"
Similarly, GB News presenter Nigel Farage took to social media to criticize the intersection of local British politics and foreign policy. In a post on X, Mr. Farage wrote, "There have been no democratic elections in Gaza for nearly 20 years, yet Gaza is being voted on in English towns and cities. What a mess we have allowed ourselves to become."
Amid the mounting public pressure and political friction, the Leeds Jewish Representative Council submitted a lengthy formal letter to the leadership of the Green Party, calling for Mr. Ali’s suspension. The council argued that his acceptance speech was the culmination of a "substantial history of views which are concerning to the Jewish community." In response to the escalating controversy, the Green Party launched an internal investigation into the matter. Following the backlash, Mr. Ali temporarily restricted direct messages on his social media accounts and ultimately removed his X account entirely.
As the controversy widened, past statements made by Mr. Ali regarding the conflict surfaced in an article published by a pro-Israel news site. These resurfaced comments added further fuel to the criticism he was facing from political opponents and community groups. According to the reported coverage, Mr. Ali had posted a message on X on October 7 asserting, "White supremacist European settler colonialism must end!"
In additional videos posted online in the wake of the October 7 attacks, Mr. Ali claimed that Israel would "use the pretext of the fightback by Hamas fighters or supposedly Hamas fighters this morning" to launch military operations against Gaza. He argued that people should "support the right of indigenous people to fight back," before adding, "They are not victims, they are occupiers, they are colonialists, they are European colonialists… It’s one of the last European colonies in the world, and that’s why the European people don’t want to let it go. They use the weapon of antisemitism so effectively that anyone who criticises Israel is labelled as antisemitic."
Furthermore, Mr. Ali allegedly stated in the recordings, "Every single person, every single people have a right to fight back, every single people have a right to live free of occupiers. That includes people who are brown, that includes people who are Muslim, that includes people who are Arab. Just because they are brown and Arab doesn’t mean they don’t have a right to fight back."
Several days after his election victory and the subsequent public uproar, Mr. Ali released an official statement through the Leeds Green Party website to address the controversy, express regret, and clarify his stance. In the statement, he offered an apology for the friction caused by his remarks regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
"I am sorry for any upset my comments caused about the Gaza conflict. That was not my intention," Mr. Ali said in the statement. "Like many across the world I have been deeply impacted by the dreadful conflict currently underway in Gaza. The International Court of Justice said this conflict meets the case for plausible genocide."
Emphasizing his opposition to violence from any faction, Mr. Ali added, "I do not support violence on either side: violence leads to more violence and this is what I have tried to convey. I have consistently called for an immediate ceasefire and a release of all hostages. I hope to be working with a broad coalition including both the Jewish and Muslim Greens soon to discuss sensible ways for us to work on communicating our shared passion of bringing the conflict to an end."
Mr. Ali also addressed the public reaction to his use of traditional Islamic terminology during his victory speech, defending his right to express gratitude through his faith. He noted that it was not "unusual" for someone of the Muslim faith to use the phrase "Allahu Akbar" as an "expression of gratitude and celebration." He added that attempts by critics to misrepresent the phrase suggested underlying Islamophobia.
Since his victory video went viral and the subsequent political and media storm unfolded, Mr. Ali has stated that he has been subjected to significant "hate and hostility" as he navigates his new role as a local representative for the Gipton and Harehills community in Leeds.