Sunday, April 27, 2014
More racism surfaces within UKIP
Just in case people think I am becoming obsessed with UKIP, then I am not the only one. Suddenly the media are all over them like a rash. Me, I am just warming up for Nigel Farage's visit to Swansea on Wednesday.
Today's Guardian says that Ukip is facing a fresh storm of controversy as further evidence emerged of racism among its local election candidates, including a suggestion by one that the comedian Lenny Henry should emigrate to a "black country":
Candidates have taken to social media sites to rail against Islam as "organised crime under religious camouflage" while likening the religion to Nazism, and suggesting that the murder of the black teenager Stephen Lawrence has received a disproportionate level of attention.
One candidate for election in Enfield, William Henwood, responded to a recent speech by Henry, in which he suggested there was a poor representation of black and ethnic minorities on British television, by tweeting: "He should emigrate to a black country. He does not have to live with whites."
For their part UKIP continue to claim that their party are "non-racist, non-sectarian" and that "any comments made by members that fail to uphold these values will be duly investigated and acted upon".
And yet these are approved candidates. What is more the increasing frequency that these gaffes are appearing indicates that they are more representative of the party than they would want us to believe:
Ukip has attempted to improve its vetting of candidates in the local and European elections to be held next month, but it appears that some of their members will not be constrained on social media. Along with his comments about Henry, the party's candidate in Enfield Town, London, has tweeted that "Islam reminds me of the 3rd Reich, strength through violence against the citizens". He said Muslims "like us to fawn to them" and "young Muslim men remind me of young Afrikaners. They are taught at an early age they have the right to abuse".
A Ukip candidate in Camden, Magnus Nielsen, used his Facebook account to post: "70% of mosques in the UK have been taken over by Wahabbi fundamentalists. Islam is organised crime under religious camouflage. Any Muslim who is not involved in organised crime is not a 'true believer', practising Islam as Muhammad commanded".
And, earlier this month, in the wake of allegations of police corruption in the investigation into the murder of Lawrence, Matt Pavey, a Ukip candidate in Lewisham, tweeted: "Does anyone remember the name Jean Bradley murder unsolved in Acton, London, in 1993. Anyone looking for corruption here? No, thought not." Pavey tweeted two days later: "Lets all take a moment to remember Jean Bradley stabbed to death on the streets of London in March 1993 and no justice #stephenlawrence." And again that day he tweeted: "Lets please take a moment to remember Penny Bell stabbed 50 times in London 1991. No justice #stephenlawrence." Pavey said he was not prepared to comment on his tweets but that there was "no malice" intended.
And then to cap it all the paper says that it has discovered that UKIP MEPs are employing foreign nationals as parliamentary assistants while the party publicly takes a tough public stance against European immigrants taking British jobs. It isn't just Farage who is being hypocritical on this issue.
Today's Guardian says that Ukip is facing a fresh storm of controversy as further evidence emerged of racism among its local election candidates, including a suggestion by one that the comedian Lenny Henry should emigrate to a "black country":
Candidates have taken to social media sites to rail against Islam as "organised crime under religious camouflage" while likening the religion to Nazism, and suggesting that the murder of the black teenager Stephen Lawrence has received a disproportionate level of attention.
One candidate for election in Enfield, William Henwood, responded to a recent speech by Henry, in which he suggested there was a poor representation of black and ethnic minorities on British television, by tweeting: "He should emigrate to a black country. He does not have to live with whites."
For their part UKIP continue to claim that their party are "non-racist, non-sectarian" and that "any comments made by members that fail to uphold these values will be duly investigated and acted upon".
And yet these are approved candidates. What is more the increasing frequency that these gaffes are appearing indicates that they are more representative of the party than they would want us to believe:
Ukip has attempted to improve its vetting of candidates in the local and European elections to be held next month, but it appears that some of their members will not be constrained on social media. Along with his comments about Henry, the party's candidate in Enfield Town, London, has tweeted that "Islam reminds me of the 3rd Reich, strength through violence against the citizens". He said Muslims "like us to fawn to them" and "young Muslim men remind me of young Afrikaners. They are taught at an early age they have the right to abuse".
A Ukip candidate in Camden, Magnus Nielsen, used his Facebook account to post: "70% of mosques in the UK have been taken over by Wahabbi fundamentalists. Islam is organised crime under religious camouflage. Any Muslim who is not involved in organised crime is not a 'true believer', practising Islam as Muhammad commanded".
And, earlier this month, in the wake of allegations of police corruption in the investigation into the murder of Lawrence, Matt Pavey, a Ukip candidate in Lewisham, tweeted: "Does anyone remember the name Jean Bradley murder unsolved in Acton, London, in 1993. Anyone looking for corruption here? No, thought not." Pavey tweeted two days later: "Lets all take a moment to remember Jean Bradley stabbed to death on the streets of London in March 1993 and no justice #stephenlawrence." And again that day he tweeted: "Lets please take a moment to remember Penny Bell stabbed 50 times in London 1991. No justice #stephenlawrence." Pavey said he was not prepared to comment on his tweets but that there was "no malice" intended.
And then to cap it all the paper says that it has discovered that UKIP MEPs are employing foreign nationals as parliamentary assistants while the party publicly takes a tough public stance against European immigrants taking British jobs. It isn't just Farage who is being hypocritical on this issue.
