Lib Dem councillor calls Hamas “freedom fighters” like Warsaw Ghetto Jews 

John Boyd, a Liberal Democrat councillor and former mayor of Thatcham, has sparked outrage after making inflammatory comparisons between Hamas and the Jewish resistance fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.

In a group chat obtained by The Jewish Chronicle, Boyd is seen defending Hamas and accusing Israel of committing genocide, war crimes, and systemic racism. The remarks, exchanged in a political discussion forum, have ignited criticism from across the political spectrum.

The controversy began when a group member shared a Hamas press release condemning former U.S. President Donald Trump as a racist and rejecting his proposed plans for Gaza. When another participant questioned the ethics of citing a designated terrorist organization, Boyd responded defiantly.

“Who is the terrorist group?” Boyd wrote. “The occupational force committing genocide or the indigenous people fighting for their own land that's systematically being taken from them one atrocity at a time?”

He then drew historical comparisons: “In World War II, were the French resistance terrorists, or were they fighting for their own land? Were the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto the terrorists for fighting against an occupational force?”

Boyd’s comments appeared to receive support from some in the chat, with multiple users reacting with “thumbs up” emojis. However, others pushed back, condemning Hamas as a terrorist group responsible for brutal attacks on civilians.

“Hamas, who hold dictatorial control over Gaza, are an evil, racist, terrorist organization who have also slaughtered innocent civilians purely because of their ethnicity,” one group member wrote in response.

Boyd continued defending Hamas, arguing that their rise was a response to Israeli actions. “Hamas is the product of the Israeli occupation,” he wrote. “And I dare say if any of us were put in the same position, we would want somebody fighting for our side when the rest of the world is too afraid not to support the Zionist oppression.”

He later added that criticizing the “Zionist regime” is not antisemitic and emphasized that “not all Jews are Zionists.”

Hamas is officially designated as a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union, and other countries. Boyd’s comments have yet to be addressed by the national Liberal Democrat leadership.