Mothin Ali is a British
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
politician and a member of
Leeds City Council.
Politics
Ali was elected to
Leeds City Council for the
Gipton and Harehills ward at the
2024 election. He was criticised by the Leeds Jewish Representative Council after describing his local election victory a "win for the people of
Gaza
Gaza may refer to:
Places Palestine
* Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip
** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Lebanon
* Ghazzeh, a village in ...
" amidst the
Israel–Hamas war.
On 7 October during the
2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel
On 7 October 2023, the paramilitary wings of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the PFLP, and the DFLP launched a series of coordinated armed incursions into the Gaza envelope of neighboring Israeli territory, the first invasion of Israel s ...
, Ali said that people should "support the right of
indigenous people to fight back" and said that "they are not victims, they are occupiers, they are
colonialists
Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
, they are European colonialists". Ali was condemned by the
Board of Deputies of British Jews
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after only the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established ...
and subsequently apologised for "any upset my comments caused" and said that he does not support violence on either side.
Harehills unrest
During the
2024 Harehills unrest, Ali formed a human shield to stop violence escalating and appealed for calm. Ali was erroneously accused of taking part in the unrest by some far-right political commentators. The
Muslim Council of Britain commended Ali for his "bravery and service" during the unrest.
Horticulture
Ali has a
YouTube channel "My Family Garden", which in 2022 had 35,000 subscribers, where he documents his
gardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruits ...
.
Ali started the ''DigItOut'' campaign which aims to end racism in horticulture and gardening.
This was a response to his own experiences of racism in the gardening world, including abuse he received on his YouTube channel, which worsened after the publication in 2021 of the findings of the
Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities
The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) was a UK Government commission supported by the Race Disparity Unit of the Cabinet Office. It was established in 2020 in the wake of Black Lives Matter George Floyd protests in the United Kingd ...
.
Personal life
Ali moved to Gipton and Harehills in 2000.
He is an accountant by day and Islamic teacher in the evenings.
He has Bangladeshi heritage.
References
External links
*
MyFamilyGarden
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Mothin
Councillors in Leeds
Green Party of England and Wales councillors
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)