'Get rid of all UK mosques': UK Conservatives suspend 14 members over Islamophobic posts
Fourteen members of the British Conservative Party were suspended on Tuesday for making a series of Islamophobic comments on social media.
The party's decision came after the Twitter account @matesjacob uncovered a series of Islamophobic, racist, and discriminatory comments made online on pages supporting the Tories.
Many of the comments had been found on a Facebook page supporting Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Conservative MP for North East Somerset, who is a high-profile supporter of Britain leaving the European Union.
The pro-Rees-Mogg Facebook page has more than 18,000 followers, while the Conservative Party has an estimated 100,000 members in the United Kingdom.
Among the comments found under a post supporting Rees-Mogg was one saying “turf all Muslims out of public office” and “get rid of all mosques”.
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Other comments used as evidence by the Conservative Party to kick out members include users stating their intention not to vote for UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid because of his Muslim heritage.
The page also reportedly featured a poll in which members were asked whether they thought civil war in Britain was likely, with over 1,000 agreeing, with comments below calling for members to arm themselves.
The page also saw comments accusing Jewish financier George Soros of funding the left, a well-known anti-semitic meme among far right groups.
A member called Lee said he would do the "dirty work" to get rid of migrants in Britain, adding: “German SS Einsatzgruppen will seem like a fucking boy scout outing compared to us pissed off Brits.”
A Tory spokesperson said the Facebook group was “in no way affiliated with the Conservative party”.
"Some people who are party members and they have been immediately suspended, pending further investigation," the spokesperson added.
A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain said the racist posts indicate that “the scale of Islamophobia at all levels of the party is astonishing”.
The round of suspensions comes as a row engulfs the Conservative Party over claims made by Sayeeda Warsi, Britain's first female Muslim cabinet minister, that the party has a problem with Islamophobia.
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