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Tories investigate three parliamentary candidates over antisemitism
Labour says Boris Johnson 'must answer' for the Jew-hate 'being promoted in his name'
December 8, 2019 09:36
Labour says Boris Johnson 'must answer' for the Jew-hate 'being promoted in his name'
December 8, 2019 09:36The Conservative Party is investigating three parliamentary candidates over antisemitism – including one MP hopeful who allegedly liked a Nazi slogan on Facebook.
Sally-Ann Hart, who is standing in the marginal seat of Hastings and Rye, shared a video implying that the billionaire George Soros, who is Jewish, controls the EU.
She then liked a comment made underneath the video that used the Nazi slogan “Ein Reich". Richard Short, the candidate for St Helens South and Whiston, was placed under investigation for questioning whether a Jewish journalist was more loyal to Israel than to the UK.
In a tweet from 2013 about Melanie Phillips, as she appeared on the BBC Question Time, he wrote: “Being a bit zionist is her allegiance to UK or Israel.”
Lee Anderson, who is standing for the Conservatives in Labour-held Ashfield, was found to be an active member of Ashfield Backs Boris, a Facebook group where conspiracy theories about financier George Soros have also been promoted.
Reacting to the revelations in The Guardian, a Board of Deputies spokesperson said: "We expect the Conservative Party, which has been clear about its abhorrence of antisemitism, to act extremely rapidly to investigate these allegations and immediately expel those found guilty of expressing antisemitic sentiments."
In a statement, the Tories said: “Discrimination or abuse of any kind is wrong, and the Conservative party takes decisive action to deal with any incidents of hatred, abuse or intimidation.
"We are committed to stamping out the scourge of antisemitism in our society and supporting our Jewish community.
“Our complaints process is rightly a confidential one but there are a wide range of sanctions to challenge and change behaviour, including conditions to undertake training, periods of suspension and expulsion, and these are applied on a case-by-case basis.”
Tory candidate Ms Hart, who is standing in former minister Amber Rudd's seat on the south coast, had already sparked anger over her comments suggesting people with learning disabilities "don't understand money."
The Ashfield Backs Boris Facebook group, of which party candidate Mr Anderson is a member, included a comment bout the Remain campaigner Gina Miller that said: “Gina Singh needs to keep her Soros-backed nose out.”
Labour has called for the candidates to be suspended, adding that leader Boris Johnson "must answer for the antisemitism being promoted in his name".
