A Green Party councillor who shouted “Allahu Akbar” to celebrate his election has claimed his critics are Islamophobic.

Mothin Ali also said his victory was a “win for the people of Gaza” after running a successful campaign in the Gipton and Harehills ward in Leeds.

Mr Ali faced a backlash after footage of his comments circulated on Friday and he is also being investigated by the Greens over a number of controversial remarks about the Israel-Hamas conflict.

These included the claim that Palestine had the right to “fight back” in the wake of the Oct 7 massacre.

In a statement on the Leeds Green Party website on Tuesday, Mr Ali said: “Being elected to represent the wonderful community of Gipton and Harehills was one of the proudest moments of my life.

“The inaccurate reporting and misrepresentation of my acceptance speech has led to me being subject to a lot of hate and hostility.

“I should also make clear that it is not unusual for somebody of my faith to use the words ‘Allahu Akbar’ as an expression of gratitude and celebration. Some have sought to misrepresent this and it suggests Islamophobia to me.”

The Telegraph revealed on Monday that Mr Ali claimed Israel had “control” of the mainstream media, while recording himself chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” at a pro-Gaza rally.

In a clip recorded on the day after the Oct 7 attacks, he also said: “This didn’t start yesterday, this started 75 years ago when the land of Palestine was invaded, the indigenous population was driven out…

“It is white supremacism, it is nothing short of a European settler-colonialist state… When they fight back, all of a sudden the European media is up in arms.”

‘Shared passion’

Addressing the backlash to his comments, Mr Ali said: “I am sorry for any upset my comments caused about the Gaza conflict. That was not my intention. 

“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.

“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.”

He added that he wanted to work with “a broad coalition including both the Jewish and Muslim Greens… to discuss sensible ways for us to work on communicating our shared passion of bringing the conflict to an end”.

The Greens called for a ceasefire within days of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in response to Oct 7, and benefited at last week’s local elections from a backlash to Labour’s stance on the Middle East after Sir Keir Starmer initially refused to echo ceasefire demands.