Council Faces Trial Over Allegations of Antisemitic Remarks by Chief
A trial is set for later this year regarding claims against Manchester council’s former chief for alleged antisemitic comments
Manchester, UK, Joanne Roney, Ben Rose, antisemitism, legal case
Manchester: So, there’s this trial coming up later this year. It’s about the former chief of Manchester council, Joanne Roney, who’s accused of calling a property agent a ‘massive Jewish b***end’. Pretty shocking, right?
Joanne, who just took a new job in Birmingham, allegedly made this comment about Ben Rose, a property agent working with Orthodox Jewish landowners. Ben found out about the slur back in 2022, and it really upset him.
He’s not Jewish himself, but he felt it was important to speak up. After he complained, the council looked into it, but Ben thought their investigation was lacking. So, he decided to take legal action against the council and Joanne.
The council is denying the claims and says they’re ready to fight it in court. Ben’s been pretty vocal about how this whole situation has affected him and his family. He just wants a fair outcome.
He mentioned that antisemitism shouldn’t be tolerated, especially in government. With the trial coming up, he’s hopeful that the truth will come out and that this case might help combat racial prejudice.
Interestingly, Ben first heard about the comment from another property agent who got the scoop from a council staffer during lunch. It’s all a bit messy, to be honest.
The council has said they’re aware of the ongoing legal proceedings but won’t comment further until it’s all sorted out. Joanne, now working in Birmingham, will also have to testify in court.
On another note, the Weis Group, which owns some prime spots in Manchester, is also in the news for suing the Greater Manchester Combined Authority over loans given to a developer. It seems like there’s a lot going on in the property scene in Manchester!