The Mayor of Bath, Dr. Bharat Pankhania, has issued a public apology following the sharing of tweets that falsely suggested the burning of ambulances operated by a Jewish charity was an Israeli false flag operation. The tweets, posted on his personal X account (formerly Twitter), also included suggestions that the incident was staged for insurance fraud.
Dr. Pankhania, a Liberal Democrat councillor and the 798th Mayor of Bath, has since deleted these tweets and expressed remorse for his actions. In a statement, he acknowledged that the posts were “abhorrent” and did not align with his personal values or beliefs. “I am incredibly apologetic that I have not lived up to the standards I set myself,” he said. “I have of course deleted them, and I wish to apologise unreservedly.”
The controversy stems from a post accusing the Jewish community’s Hatzola ambulance service of staging the arson as a “false flag.” Hatzola, a volunteer-led organization founded in London, provides emergency medical response to all individuals in its service area, regardless of religious background. The four ambulances were set ablaze in Golders Green, London, an area with a significant Jewish population, on March 23. Police are treating the incident as an antisemitic hate crime, and two individuals were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.
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The role of Mayor of Bath is ceremonial and held by a councillor from Bath and North East Somerset Council for one year. Dr. Pankhania has represented Combe Down since 2019.