The Conservative party has suspended 14 members for posting Islamophobic or racist comments on internet amid accusations of “insititutional Islamophobia” in the party.
Accusations of racism and Islamophobia have dogged the Tory Party in recent years amid calls for an inquiry.
Yesterday the Tory Party came under criticism for allowing an activist suspended for “vile” racist comments to stand as a councillor.
Peter Lamb is to sand as a councillor for Harlow District Council in May. He had been suspended for Islamophobic tweets including “Islam like alcoholism [sic]. The first step to recovery is admit you have a problem” and “Turkey buys oil from ISIS. Muslims sticking together.”
Former Tory co-chair Baroness Warsi told PoliticsHome yesterday that Islamophobia has become “institutional” within the Conservative Party.
“I have been raising these issues for over 3 years and yet still the Party fails to act. We now have daily examples of the most vile racist and Islamophobic comments from both elected representatives and members and still the Party remains in denial,” said the Conservative peer.
“And whilst the comments and actions of individuals are disturbing what’s even more hurtful and worrying is my Party’s complete lack of political will to even acknowledge the extent of the challenge we face. This rot is institutional and it’s why I have been urging the Prime Minister and others to hold an Independent Inquiry.”
Baroness Warsi, the first Muslim woman to serve in the Conservative Cabinet, accused her party of turning a blind eye to “institutional” Islamophobia, insisting Theresa May “doesn’t listen.”
Today the Independent has revealed that 14 Conservative Party members have been suspended for racvist or Islamophobic posts on social media.
These include demanding Muslims are “turfed out of public office” and for the government to “get rid of all mosques”.
The Muslim Council of Britain, representing most mainstream British Muslims have repeatedly demanded an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the Tory Party.
“We’ve seen MPs, councillors and members engage in bigotry that should have no place in a modern Conservative Party,” a spokesperson said today.
“Yet the constructive call by Muslim communities for an independent inquiry into the issue has been ignored again and again. Instead we hear excuses, denials and the responses we would expect when there is an institutional problem. We call again for an independent inquiry, and hope the call will now be heeded.”
The Buzzfeed news site today said that it had passed on racist social media posts collated and published on Twitter page Racists4Rees-Mogg which has been calling for a response for the Conservative Party.
The party now say that they are investigating the comments made in unofficial Facebook groups supporting Jacob Rees-Mogg. Other comments included: “A practicing Muslim should not be allowed to work in any of the emergency professions” ; “Islam must be banned from Europe”; “they are here to destroy us”.
On Friday Martyn York was suspended from the Tory party for Islamophobic comments being posted in a Facebook group he runs as the scandal of Islamophbia in the Tory party grows.
Last year the Executive Committee of the Conservative Muslim Forum added its voice to calls from over 350 mosques and Muslim organisations all over the Muslim community for an independent investigation into Islamophobia in the Tory party.
It will be increasingly hard for Theresa May to ignore the mounting pressure for a fully independent inquiry after some sickening high profile racist incidents within the party.
MORE FOLLOWS
Conservative Muslim Forum join nationwide call for Tory party Islamophobia probe
Investigation into Islamophobia in the Conservative Party, says Muslim Council
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