[DemolitionRed]

A dossier on racism within the Tory party

The cases include Tory elected representatives using racist abuse like “*****”, “pikies”, and “piccaninnies” – as well as several anti-semitic or Islamophobic remarks. But most appear to have been allowed to continue their membership and even to represent the Conservative Party.

A Brief Chronology

In January 2015 a former aide to both Margaret Thatcher and John Major described the Conservative Party as “essentially racist”. Just last month lifetime Tory voter and Daily Mail
columnist Peter Oborne described Zac Goldsmith’s Islamophobic London mayoral campaign as the “most repulsive I have ever seen”

https://www.unitetheunion.org/upload...IN11-26629.pdf

In 1989, David Cameron defied international sanctions to go on a jolly to apartheid South Africa1 on a trip funded by a firm that lobbied against the imposition of sanctions on the apartheid regime.

In a 2002 column for the Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson (then MP for Henley) described black people as “piccaninnies” with “watermelon smiles”.

While editor of The Spectator, then Tory MP Boris Johnson published an article that said “blacks have lower IQs”. Another article from around the same time said that Caribbeans were "multiplying like flies"

In February 2009, Bolton Conservative councillor Bob Allen posted a picture of a gorilla alongside a critical comment about an Asian Labour councillor on a blog

In March 2009, Leicestershire Tory councillor Robert Fraser said that Romanians would "stick a knife in you as soon as look at you", as well as insulting East Europeans and the Irish, saying “Some of these European ones, they make the Irish look like complete amateurs and I would dread, I would dread, to see them in Groby

In November 2009, Tory MP for Spelthorne, David Wilshire, said the expose of MPs expenses left them treated like Jews in Nazi Germany, stating “Branding a whole group of people as undesirables led to Hitler’s gas chambers”

In January 2010, Tory councillor for Colne, Smith Benson, complained that there were “too many P***s” in his town. Council Leader Tony Beckett refused to discipline him and said, “I think for the Labour Party to say he should be sacked for making a sweeping statement is a bit strong.”

In January 2011, Baroness Warsi gave a speech about rising Islamophobia. Tory Lord Tebbit wrote a blog dismissing her case and saying “a period of silence from the Baroness might not come amiss.”

In August 2011, Tory Dover councillor Bob Frost described people involved in the riots as
“jungle bunnies”.

In December 2011, Tory MP for Cannock Chase, Aidan Burley, helped organise a Nazi-themed stag party.

In January 2013, an Enfield Tory councillor Chris Joannides compared Muslim children to black bin bags in a Facebook post.

In April 2013, Tory councillor for West Sussex, John Cherry, told the Mail on Sunday, "Ninety-seven per cent of pupils will be black or Asian. It depends what type of Asian. If they're Chinese they'll rise to the top. If they're Indian they'll rise to the top. If they're Pakistani they won't,”

In April 2014, a Tory Barnet councillor, Tom Davey, was accused of being not fit for office, after a Facebook post came to light in which he suggested it might be easier to find a job if he were “a black female wheelchair-bound amputee who is sexually attracted to other women”.
No disciplinary action was taken by the Conservative Party.

In May 2014, David Bishop, a Tory council candidate in Brentwood, Essex, tweeted "It's good to be anti-Islam” and called Islam “the religion of peace & rape”

In May 2014, Tory Coulsdon activist Stephen Lees tweeted “Every single Muslim should be expelled from this country – not deported – expelled, and every mosque demolished.

In August 2014 UCL Conservative Society was under scrutiny for a series of anti-semitic, Islamophobic and racist remarks, fostering a culture of discrimination and bullying, and creating a “toxic” environment. One comment included, “Jews own everything, we all know it’s true. I wish I was Jewish, but my nose isn’t long enough”

In October 2014, Maidenhead Tory councillor Alan Mellins suggested complained about Travellers and said the solution was to “Execute them.”

In January 2015, a Conservative councillor for Bishop’s Stortford was accused of anti-semitism for a tweet and condemned by Tory MP Robert Halfon as “abhorrent” and “unacceptable”

In April 2015, a Tory candidate for Derby Council, Gulzabeen Afsar, said she would never support “the Jew” in reference to Ed Miliband.

In October 2015, a Tory councillor in Rugby, Jim Buckley, tweeted re: Sadiq Khan,
“Your next London Mayor? You think his corner shop would be open on a Saturday?

In February 2016, Glasgow Tory councillor David Meikle accused the SNP of anti-semitism for opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land

In March 2016, the deputy provost of South Ayrshire Council, Tory councillor Mary Kilpatrick backed attacks on fasting during Ramadan and calls to outlaw Muslim veils.

Boris Johnson, Tory MP and current Mayor of London, wrote in an article for The Sun in April 2016, that asserted that US president Barack Obama had an “ancestral dislike” of Britain, and described him as “part-Kenyan”.

In April 2016, Fareham Tory councillor David Whittingham mimicked foreign accents, said he didn’t want foreigners living in his road and made comments and behaviour that were “racist in nature”

In April 2016, the deputy chairman of Bradford Conservative Association, Abdul Zaman, made inappropriate comments about Jews and women while speaking at a launch event for the local election campaign.