Emny Kadri, who signed the Green Party leader’s nomination form to contest the Holborn & St Pancras by‑election, posted on X that Labour’s choice of Sagal Abdi‑Wali was “slyly strategic” and reflected a “knee‑deep in identity politics” approach that treats minorities as “sheep”.
Kadri further accused the Labour candidate of supporting “a political party who have done everything in their power to support a genocide against majority Muslims”, a claim reported by The Times.
Sagal Abdi‑Wali arrived in Britain as a child refugee from Somalia, has lived in Camden for more than three decades and, in May, became the council’s first black woman leader, a milestone highlighted by local media.
Fiyaz Mughal, founder of the Islamophobia‑monitoring group Tell Mama, responded to Kadri’s remarks, saying that “anyone suggesting that Muslims should act or think in a specific way is stereotyping the very community that they seek to advocate for”, and warned that such rhetoric could deter young Muslims from entering politics or community work.
The controversy unfolds as the Holborn & St Pancras by‑election draws national attention, with Labour defending its candidate selection while critics argue that identity‑based attacks risk deepening community divisions.