Dr Bharat Pankhania, the 798th Mayor of Bath, has been suspended from the Liberal Democrat group on Bath and North East Somerset Council and will undergo equality and social media conduct training after retweeting posts that questioned the nature of an arson attack on ambulances run by a Jewish charity.
The tweets, shared on Dr Pankhania’s personal X account, suggested the recent firebombing of ambulances in London’s Golders Green area was an “Israeli false flag” operation and hinted at insurance fraud motives. Recognising the damage caused, he quickly deleted the retweets and issued a full apology, describing the posts as “abhorrent.”
Since 2019, Dr Pankhania has served as a councillor for Combe Down and assumed the ceremonial role of Mayor of Bath, which is appointed annually from among councillors. Following the incident, the Liberal Democrat group confirmed his suspension and emphasised their strong stance against antisemitism in all its forms.
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In a statement to the Local Democracy Service, Dr Pankhania expressed deep regret, saying: “I am very sorry and upset. I made a mistake in retweeting, not realising that retweeting is endorsement. There is no way I hate people or other religions. It is pure and simple a mistake on my part and that’s why I immediately apologised and withdrew my retweets.”
The attack itself occurred in the early hours of March 23 when four ambulances from Hatzola, a volunteer-led Jewish ambulance service operating in London, were set on fire. The incident is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime. Two men arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life have since been released on strict bail pending ongoing investigations.
Hatzola ambulances serve both the Jewish community and the wider public, having been established following concerns over delayed ambulance response times for Jewish residents.
A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats reiterated the group’s condemnation of antisemitism and confirmed Dr Pankhania will complete mandated training to ensure a better understanding of equalities and responsible social media use moving forward.