UK: Reform Party Campaigner's Islamophobic Comments Caught on Tape
The Times reported that the comments were made by a canvasser for Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK's Reform Party.
Andrew Parker, the campaigner in question, was covertly recorded by a Channel 4 reporter in Clacton, where Farage is vying for a seat in the forthcoming general election.
Parker was captured advising the reporter with inflammatory language about Islam and proposing the expulsion of Muslims from mosques to repurpose them as Wetherspoons pubs.
Further controversy arose from Parker's conversation with a Clacton resident, where he suggested using migrants as "target practice" for army recruits, a statement he made on a doorstep while canvassing.
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Farage has publicly condemned Parker's statements as "appalling" and announced the party's dissociation from Parker. Farage emphasized that the views expressed do not align with his own, those of the majority of Reform supporters, or the party's policies.
In response to the controversy, Parker clarified to Channel 4 that his personal views on immigration were not shared with Farage or the Reform Party and that any comments made were solely his own.
This incident follows previous criticism of Farage for anti-Muslim comments made during a Sky News program, where he claimed young Muslims do not “subscribe to British values.”
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The report comes against a backdrop of a significant rise in anti-Muslim hate incidents in the UK, as documented by Tell MAMA. The organization's findings show a 335-percent increase in hate incidents over the past year, with a record number of 2,010 cases reported between October 2023 and February 2024. The majority of these incidents occurred in London and disproportionately affected women.
The increase in anti-Muslim sentiment coincides with protests in London against the Israeli military action in Gaza, with demonstrators calling for an end to UK support for Israel and demanding an immediate ceasefire. The protests have seen participation from both Muslim and non-Muslim communities.
Source: Agencies
