(JTA) — A local Socialist politician from France’s Lyon region was booted from the party for making statements deemed anti-Semitic.
A disciplinary board of the Socialist Party in Lyon, located in east-central France, ejected Ahmed Chekhab, a deputy mayor of the town of Vaulx-en-Velin, from the party Monday evening, the LyonCapitale.fr news website reported.
Chekhab was heard telling the president of a local sports club: “Would you rather get f**ked by Zittoun, by a Jew, then get the help of someone like yourself?”
Chekhab was commenting on Philippe Zittoun, his Jewish predecessor as deputy mayor. He was angry at the sports club president over the cancellation of a sports event for 800 children.
The committee said in its decision to boot Chekhab that “in the current political context, his remarks were inexcusable.”
The affair became public earlier this month following a report by Le Progres daily. Chekhab, who is in his thirties and was elected to the post of deputy mayor earlier this year, later apologized for the remark.
“These were idiotic remarks,” he wrote. Zittoun replied he would accept the apology only if Chekhab resigns.
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