Plaid Cymru reinstates an activist suspended over reported antisemitic social media posts with no sanction and will stand her as candidate for Welsh Assembly

A Plaid Cymru activist who was suspended over antisemitism has been reinstated with no sanction and will even stand as a candidate for the Party in elections for the Welsh Assembly.

Sahar Al-Faifi was reported to have made antisemitic comments on social media some years ago, which Plaid Cymru intended to investigate during her suspension. Ms Al-Faifi deleted and apologised for the posts, but a Jewish organisation involved in the case considered her response to be unsatisfactory, as other social media posts that she was asked to amend apparently went unedited for some time, reportedly including one that linked the London Bridge attacks to “pro-Zionists”. After pressure she has now deleted them.

Following her reinstatement, in a statement Ms Al-Faifi disclosed that a Plaid Cymru panel found on 8th January that “there was no need for sanctions”.

She apparently also shared an article on her reinstatement from a highly controversial organisation which read: “While antisemitism must never be tolerated and should be challenged wherever it is found, the use of the term as a political tool for shutting down criticism of the Israeli government devalues the experiences of those who face antisemitic abuse on a daily basis.”

Ms Al-Faifi has even been enlisted as a candidate for the Party in next year’s Welsh Assembly elections in South Wales Central. At her launch this week, she was joined by former Party leader Leanne Wood.

A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It would appear that Plaid Cymru suspended Ms Al-Faifi during the general election in order to deflect attention and pressure when antisemitism was in the public life, but after the spotlight shifted has taken zero disciplinary action against her and has even rewarded her with a candidacy position.

“Clearly Plaid Cymru believes some forms of racism are welcome in its Party and that antisemitism has a prominent place in its vision for Wales.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.