Brentford Councillor Quits Labour Over Policy on Israel
Lara Parizotto says her views are no longer aligned with the party
Cllr Parizotto (far right) at pro-Palestinian demonstration in Liverpool this month. Picture: Lara Parizotto/X
October 19, 2023
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Brentford West councillor Lara Parizotto has announced on social media that she has resigned from the Labour Party.
It is understood that her decision was prompted by the party’s leadership position on the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine.
She said on Twitter, “Today, I cannot represent the Labour Party. I find my values and my work on racial justice, migrants rights, allyship with queer and trans people, decolonisation and global liberation movements of oppressed people unaligned with the Party. This is in no way a reflection on individual members.”
She recently attended pro-Palestinian demonstration in Liverpool on 14 October and tweeted afterwards, “Solidarity with Palestinian people suffering war crimes. Politicians must speak up. The current atrocities are unjustified.”
Later she said, “Political leaders must demand an end to the collective punishment. There is no justification for these many deaths.
“There is no justification for allowing innocent civilians to be killed. No more selective positioning from senior leaders.”
Describing the decision to quit the party as ‘incredibly difficult’ she said that she would continue as an independent councillor and that any ongoing or future casework that she was handling would still be dealt with adding, “I’m proud of the results achieved locally through relationships built with residents, councillors, and local groups.”
Since been elected in May of last year, she had been a strong advocate for migrants’ rights in the borough. She has been a Labour Party member since 2015 having arrived from her native Brazil as an 18-year-old and working as a cleaner living in ‘precarious accommodation’.
There has been a mixed reaction to her decision but Labour’s Shadow Defence Minister Florence Eshalomi posted that she was sorry to see her leave and hoped that she would rejoin the party one day.
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