24 February 2024 , 23:17
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While the withdrawal of the whip from Lee Anderson is welcome, his remarks are the tip of the iceberg of a much bigger problem in the Conservative Party.
Anderson was not suspended for his vitriolic remarks on GB News, but for failing to apologise for them. Would he still have been suspended had he apologised? The Prime Minister’s silence is telling. Will he condemn Anderson’s remarks and remove him from the party? Or will his suspension be lifted when people lose interest, as with previous councillors?
Will the PM return to GB News if Anderson retains his show? These are questions we need answers to. In my view, Anderson’s remarks were Islamophobia. Using “Islamist” as a racist cover – when I say the intent clearly is Muslims – is a typical approach of far-right activists to justify their racism.
Anderson explicitly engaged in the false Islamophobic trope of Muslims “taking over London”, while also attacking Sadiq Khan, by the very nature of him being Muslim, as having “mates” who are fanatics. Such racist assumptions about Muslims (or any other group) have no place in public life.