Politics

Tory member 'who likened Muslims to barbarians' among up to 25 suspended over posts


The Tories have suspended up to 25 sitting and ex councillors after a dossier suggested they’d posted racist and Islamophobic content online.

Documents, obtained by The Guardian, were claimed to show 15 current and 10 former councillors had either shared, posted or endorsed Islamophobic or other racist content on Facebook.

Among the hateful material, were posts referring Muslims to “barbarians”.

In another, a councillor, who has reportedly  been pictured with Boris Johnson, endorsed a suggestion aid to Africa should stop allowing “mother nature take her course”.

She replied: “It’s nature’s way of depopulation.”

Up to 25 former and current councillors have been suspended over the posts

 

The Conservative Party said all of those found to be Tory members had been “suspended immediately, pending an investigation”.

“The swift action we take on not just anti-Muslim discrimination, but discrimination of any kind is testament to the seriousness with which we take such issues,” a spokeswoman said.

“The Conservative Party will never stand by when it comes to prejudice and discrimination of any kind.

One of the councillors suspended was pictured with Boris Johnson

 

“That’s why we are already establishing the terms of an investigation to make sure that such instances are isolated and robust processes are in place to stamp them out as and when they occur.”

It is understood not all the names provided in the dossier are members of the Tory Party, but the party was unable to say how many members had been suspended.

The disclosure will increase pressure on Boris Johnson to hold an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the party, rather than a broader investigation into prejudice within its ranks.

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Shadow equalities minister Naz Shah said: “The Conservative Party is rife with Islamophobia, racism and bigotry from top to bottom, but we have no faith that Boris Johnson will do anything about it.

“Johnson’s comments about Muslim women looking like ‘bank robbers’ and ‘letter boxes’ were linked to a 375% rise in anti-Muslim hate crime, and polls show a majority of Conservative Party members hold Islamophobic views.

“Boris Johnson must commit to a full independent inquiry into Islamophobia and stop pretending it doesn’t exist in his party.”





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