| Oliver Finegold |
Article Index for Oliver |
Website Links For Oliver |
Information AboutOliver Finegold |
|
Oliver Finegold is an English Jewish Journalist , who writes for the '' Evening Standard '' newspaper. On 8 February 2005 , he attempted to interview Mayor Of London , Ken Livingstone , after a reception hosted by Livingstone in honour of Chris Smith to mark 20 years since Smith became the first sitting Member Of Parliament to Come Out as gay. After the publicly funded reception, Finegold asked guests about the evening and recorded the interviews. Livingstone holds an antagonism toward the Associated Newspapers (pubishers of the Evening Standard and Daily Mail) and claims they have abused him for 25 years and hold a long record of anti-semitism and support for fascism. The Livingstone interview proved to be highly controversial as on being asked how the event went, he teased the journalist for working for the Evening Standard and asked if he was a "German war criminal". Mr Finegold then informed Livingstone that being Jewish he found the remark offensive. The Mayor then replied by saying "you are doing it just because you are paid to" like a concentration camp guard. He then refused to comment on the reception as the newspaper was "a load of scumbags and reactionary bigots" and suggested that Finegold should work for one that didn't "have a record of supporting fascism". Livingstone refused to apologise then or subsequently, leading to complaint from the Jewish Board of Deputies. The Adjudication Panel for England held a tribunal inquiry in which Livingstone was charged with bringing his office into disrepute. On 24 February 2005 he was convicted and suspended from his post on full pay for four weeks. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4746016.stm. On Tuesday, 28 February 2006 the suspension was put on hold pending the Mayor's appeal. The head of the panel which suspended London's mayor has admitted the system under which it operates is flawed and has said he expects new legislation to change the system. Ken Livingstone was quoted as saying: "Three members of a body that no one has ever elected should not be allowed to overturn the votes of millions of Londoners." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4750082.stm EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|