News / Politics
Councillor cleared after comparing school to Hamas
A top Tory councillor has been cleared of breaking Bristol City Council’s code of conduct after comparing a secondary school to Hamas.
Councillor Richard Eddy told a council meeting in July 2025 that Cotham School “behaves like terrorists” during a debate about the long-running row between local residents and the school over shared access to Stoke Lodge playing fields.
The school and councillor Ellie Freeman lodged formal complaints about the “false”, “outrageous’”and “deeply offensive” comments.
But an independent investigation has concluded that Eddy did not breach the council’s rules and that he had a right to freedom of political expression for what he said.
However, the external solicitor who led the inquiry also called his remarks “undoubtedly offensive, unwarranted and unjustified” and said they were “irrational and misconceived”.
During the debate at the economy and skills committee, Eddy said: “I’ve got no confidence in the commitments or integrity of Cotham School or its governors.
“Frankly, I prefer to trust the Hamas regime in Gaza, though arguably, they behave like terrorists do.”
It prompted gasps from councillors in the chamber and calls from Labour and Greens for Eddy to withdraw the comments and apologise, but he told one member that they could “whistle in the wind”.
Eddy made the comments during a debate about the contested Stoke Lodge playing fields – photo: Mia Booth
Afterwards, the councillor doubled down on his remarks, saying they were “completely justified”.
The investigator’s report said: “There is no doubt that councillor Eddy’s comments were offensive to the school, its governors, staff, students and supporters and showed a lack of respect to them.
“Hamas is a terrorist organisation. The school is an academy, a learning institution trying to do its best for its students and community.
“The comparison of the school and its governors to a murderous terrorist organisation is entirely unjustified.
“It is disrespectful and brings his office into disrepute.”
However, it added that he was demonstrating his view of the actions of the school and board of governors and that the comments had not surpassed “the high threshold for protection of political expression”.
“My finding is that there has not been a failure to comply with the council’s code of conduct,” the investigator said.
Speaking about the decision, Eddy said: “With truly scandalous behaviour by Bristol City Council – such as spying on the activities of special needs parents and the refusal to divulge the electronic correspondence of former Labour mayor Marvin Rees – it is astonishing that certain public bodies like Cotham School governors and sad, self-important local politicians seek to cow public representatives from doing their legitimate job.”
He defended “the right of local councillors to speak truth unto power and not to be cowed into submission by those who are prepared to use the code of conduct policy for their own scurrilous ends.”
Main photo: Bristol City Council
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