London mayor suspended over 'war criminal' remark

The mayor of London, England has been suspended for four weeks after he asked a Jewish reporter whether he had been a "German war criminal."

Ken Livingstone's refusal to apologize for the comment was a factor in Friday's ruling by a disciplinary panel that he had brought the mayor's office into disrepute.

"The mayor does seem to have failed, from the outset of this case, to have appreciated that his conduct was unacceptable," said David Laverick, chairman of the Adjudication Panel for England.

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Livingstone said the ruling "strikes at the heart of democracy," adding: "Elected politicians should only be able to be removed by the voters or for breaking the law."

The controversy began when Oliver Finegold, who works for the Evening Standard, came up to the mayor after a recent event honouring the gay and lesbian community and asked how the evening had gone.

Livingstone responded by asking what Finegold had done before becoming a reporter and whether he had ever been a "German war criminal."

When Finegold replied that he was Jewish and offended by the remark, Livingstone went on to say the reporter was "just like a concentration camp guard."

A Jewish group later launched an official complaint.

The mayor told the disciplinary panel he did not mean to offend the Jewish community, but was expressing his opinion about the tactics of the newspaper chain for which Finegold works.

Livingstone's nickname is Red Ken because of his left-wing positions. A staunch supporter of minority rights, he once remarked that the International Monetary Fund "killed more people than Hitler" and has accused U.S. President George W. Bush of committing war crimes.

He has the right to appeal the suspension, due to take effect March 1, as well as the panel's order that he pay costs of $160,000 Cdn.