Zac Goldsmith mayoral campaign investigating ‘Islamophobe canvasser’
Man allegedly made remark about Sadiq Khan, right, during doorstep exchange in south London as he campaigned for Zac Goldsmith, left [Image: Chris Ratcliffe/Getty Images].
Let’s bear in mind that – at the time of writing – this allegation has not been proven. If it is, it puts the Tories firmly in UKIP territory – and we know how this kind of thing has benefited that party’s campaigns.
Zac Goldsmith’s mayoral campaign team is investigating a claim that one of their canvassers made an Islamophobic remark about the Labour candidate, Sadiq Khan.
The unidentified man was said to have been distributing leaflets for the Conservative candidate when he allegedly referred to Khan as “the Muslim” in a doorstep exchange with Perry Pontac, of Streatham, south London.
Goldsmith’s team said they were investigating the allegation, [of which they were made aware] in writing last week. They said any such remark would be unacceptable.
Source: Zac Goldsmith mayoral campaign investigating ‘Islamophobe canvasser’ | Politics | The Guardian
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What evidence is there that UKIP members have used such language? I don’t remember seeing it on your blog. If it was available I have absolutely no doubt you would have written an article about it (and no ‘generalisations’ please) and I don’t remember seeing it. Just asking. And for absolute clarity, what is problematic about referring to a Muslim as a Muslim – other than making sure that you begin the word with a capital letter (or your blog doesn’t recognise it as being grammatically ‘correct’ – a grievous offence to which I am only too pleased to admit to having accidently committed and for which I seek your pardon).
Rozanne Duncan was filmed saying she had a problem with people who had “negroid features”.
In May 2014, UKIP member Ken Chapman, hoping to be elected to Amber Valley Borough Council in Derbyshire, wrote of Muslims: “clear them all off to the desert with their camals that’s their way of life.” (That’s HIS spelling of ‘camels’, by the way.
There’s UKIP’s Dave Small, sacked as a councillor after just six days when tweets from 2012 emerged saying the following: “all around me I could hear the sound of jabbering in an alien voice … we also have the Pakistani’ and the Somali’s. Tell me Mr Cameron Why? the men wear their Pyjamas.”
In 2013, UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom famously said that the UK should stop providing aid to “bongo bongo Land”.
In April 2014, UKIP suspended Andre Lampitt, the star of its European Election TV campaign, after he tweeted: “Most Nigerians are generally bad people… I grew up in Africa and dare anyone to prove me wrong.”
After comedian Lenny Henry said there should be more black and ethnic minority people in creative industries, candidate William Henwood said that Henry should move to a ‘black country’.
Joseph Quirk, former UKIP candidate for Boldon Colliery Ward on South Tyneside Council has shared anti-Semitic material claiming that Jewish Bankers financed Hitler, Soviet Communism and 9/11. There’s also this from November: “Well, I reckon dogs are more intelligent, better company and certainly better behaved than most Muslims.”
Gerard Batten, UKIP’s chief whip and immigration spokesman, believes that all UK Muslims should sign up to a special code of conduct, and wants mosque building to be banned.
Camden UKIP chairman Magnus Nielsen made headlines after describing Islam as ‘organised crime’.
Former Offerton councillor Harry Perry’s Twitter feed is astonishing. As well as prolific sharing of material about the ‘sin of feminism’ and the ‘disease’ of homosexuality, Perry is obsessed with the idea of ‘white genocide’ and has a rabid hatred of Islam.
Plymouth UKIP candidate Ron Northcott believes that premier league football teams should be limited to two foreign players. His Twitter account is a treasure trove of bizzare anti-Scottish (‘jock’) bile and calls to reclaim the country.
After the death of Nelson Mandela, West London UKIP member David William Griffiths wrote in the members-only forum that some people were ‘intended by nature’ to be slaves.
Meanwhile Pamela Preedy, secretary of UKIP’s Redcar branch, questioned why Mandela’s death had received so much coverage since he ‘had nothing to do with Britain’.
Newport East candidate Donald Grewar was forced to resign after he apparently backed a post by the EDL, calling for ‘no surrender to militant Islam or political correctness’.
Diane James, as UKIP MEP for the South East of England, has said that Romanians are naturally associated with crime.
In 2013, the then Stourport-on-Severn councillor Eric Kitson was questioned by police after he shared anti-Muslim cartoons on Facebook. In one particularly memorable post he said of Muslim women: ‘Hang um all first then ask questions later.’
All from the very first article listed when I typed “UKIP racist” into a search engine.
As for what’s problematic about referring to a Muslim as a Muslim – it’s all about context. Here, the canvasser was using it in a derogatory fashion, emphasizing the gentleman’s religion over any other facet of his life. Perhaps his politics might have been a more appropriate point of attack?