A NEW Labour mayor who dressed as Adolf Hitler in a shocking resurfaced picture is facing calls to be sacked after being labelled a “bully” and “not fit for public office”.
Seve Gomez-Aspron MBE was installed into the ambassadorial role at St Helens Borough Council in Merseyside this month – with multiple fellow councillors reportedly storming out in protest.
Seve Gomez-Aspron dressed as Adolf Hitler during a 2009 charity event
St Helens.gov.uk/Bernard PlattGomez-Aspron was sworn in as mayor of St Helens this month[/caption]
Calls have been made for him to be removed from the ambassadorial role
A string of controversies have marred his time as an elected official, including a photo of him dressed up as the Nazi leader surfacing in 2019, resulting in a council inquiry – though no action was taken by his party.
He has also been brought before the council’s standards committee in the past over complaints about remarks he made on social media.
While cops previously attended the town hall itself to serve Gomez-Aspron with a Police Information Notice in relation to harassment claims made by a member of the public.
However, it must be noted, receiving such a notice does not mean an acceptance of wrongdoing and it does not appear any further action was taken.
One councillor – who wished to remain anonymous – told The Sun: “He is reviled throughout St Helens for his inappropriate behaviour and attitude.
“Many feel that he is not fit for public office, never mind the prestigious role as mayor.”
A reported 11 councillors walked out in protest during the swearing in ceremony on May 14.
The Hitler photo has been circulating again online since Gomez-Aspron’s induction as mayor.
And a parliamentary petition has been launched – which currently has around 1,000 signatures – calling for him to be removed.
It describes the decision to make Gomez-Aspron mayor an “outrage” and labels him a “bully”.
It adds: “His poor conduct as a councillor is disgraceful and how he has gotten away with his behaviour for so long is hard to contemplate and now he has been elected mayor is just plain and simply disgusting.”
Gomez-Aspron – who once scooped £100,000 with a pal on TV gameshow Million Pound Drop – last year apologised after comments he made during a full council meeting were reported to the authority’s Monitoring Officer.
He described a fellow councillor’s intention to vote against a council tax rise as having “diatribe” reasoning and said he has “not a clue what he is talking about”.
In the row, Gomez-Aspron described two independent councillors as the “Earlestown Brain Trust”, and later said that “it was wrong to imply there was a brain”.
The council subsequently confirmed the complaint was upheld and resolved with an “alternative resolution”, with Gomez-Aspron going on to apologise.
The council was also forced to apologise in 2015 after Gomez-Aspron allegedly used a euphemism for a derogatory word when speaking to a constituent on Facebook.
Gomez-Aspron ended a conversation with a woman on the social network website by writing “See you next Tuesday”.
But, the expression was reportedly abbreviated into text speak, using ‘C’ and ‘U’ for the first two words and a capital ‘N’ at the beginning of the word ‘next’.
St Helens Council’s Standards Committee was told the expression is widely known to be a euphemism for a derogatory four-letter word.
Gomez-Aspron denied he knew the expression could be offensive.
The councillor was also previously censured by the authority and it was recommended he be removed from its personnel appeals committee, and replaced as armed forces champion, in relation to his alleged comments on social media.
In 2017 the council’s standards committee found 12 complaints made by residents were in breach of the council’s code of conduct in full or in part.
A further complaint saw a resident allege Gomez-Aspron had thrown eggs at his house, though a report stated this could not be proven.
‘I have matured and learnt’
The controversial Hitler snap was taken in 2009 during a fundraiser dinner for a children’s charity, with Gomez-Aspron – not then a member of Labour or a councillor – later describing the outfit choice as a “clumsy” decision.
He claimed it was part of a satirical comedy routine he did alongside pals inspired by Mel Brooks’ film The Producers – and that others dressed as German soldiers were cropped out of the photo that subsequently went viral.
Speaking in 2019 he said: “I have matured and learnt a lot since then, and it goes without saying that I would not do this now.
“I know how this could be seen as insensitive and how it could cause hurt and offence.
“That was not at all my intention and I sincerely apologise.”
The photo had originally surfaced while Labour, then led by Jeremy Corbyn, was dogged in an anti-Semitism row.
Gomez-Aspron did not wish to comment when approached by The Sun.
We also contacted the Labour Party for comment.
Getty ImagesNazi leader Adolf Hitler is responsible for WW2 and the Holocaust, and considered one of the most evil people in history[/caption]
Kameri TheatreGomez-Aspron said his fancy dress costume was inspired by musical The Producers[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
