Labour council leader reported to police over antisemitic video posted to his social media

Dan McDonald
Sat, 04 Apr 2026 05:02:47 +0000

Basildon Borough Council leader Gavin Callaghan has been reported to police after a video containing antisemitic content was posted on his social media account.

The Labour councillor issued a public apology after the clip appeared on his official Facebook page before being deleted hours later.

The video, titled “Back Basildon Stop Reform” and featuring the Basildon Labour logo, used Michael Jackson’s 1996 track "They Don’t Care About Us" as its soundtrack.

The song sparked controversy on release over lyrics including “Jew me, sue me” and “kick me, k*ke me”, which Jackson later re-recorded to remove.

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However, the version shared by Mr Callaghan contained the original offensive lyrics.

The slurs were displayed in bold text over images of Conservative councillors serving on Basildon Borough Council.

A caption alongside the clip warned that Billericay Conservatives could regain control of the council within 35 days if Reform UK secured enough seats.

Andy Barnes, leader of the Basildon Conservatives, reported the incident to police after being alerted by a member of the public.

He said: “Councillor Callaghan seems to have given no thought to the hurt and distress publicly posting these will have caused, to a Jewish community already under siege by increasing hostility and attack.”

He added: “Members of my own group, of Jewish descent has been shocked that the leader of our organisation would stoop so low.”

The video is understood to have remained online for around three hours before being removed.

Conservative MP Richard Holden called on Sir Keir Starmer to expel the councillor from the Labour Party.

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He said: “It takes a lot to shock me and I had hoped to never see such antisemitic bile from Labour again.”

Mr Holden added: “Sir Keir Starmer must immediately kick out this councillor or he will show that the words he spoke about rooting out anti-Jewish hatred from Labour were just for show at a time when the British Jewish community is feeling more under attack than ever before.”

Lord Pickles, co-chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, described the incident as “absolutely appalling”.

Mr Callaghan issued an apology on social media, saying he had used AI to create the video but was “completely unaware” of the antisemitic lyrics.

He added that he had failed to properly review the content before posting it.

The Labour council leader said: "Antisemitism has no place in our society and I am deeply sorry for unknowingly sharing something that carried antisemitic content.

"I would never have posted it had I known, and accept that I should have been more careful in my use of AI.

"I will learn from this mistake and be far more cautious in the future."