Tory councillors accused of racist posts on social media
Two Conservative councillors have been accused of sharing racist comments on social media following the rise of Black Lives Matter protests around led by the death of George Floyd in America.
Linda Symes, a councillor in Portsmouth, has been suspended from the party after appearing to question why there were demonstrations over the death of Floyd and not over the murder of Lee Rigby or the death of seven-year-old Emily Jones.
Symes shared a post which read: "Total morons, don’t remember any demonstrations like this when Lee Rigby was murdered on our streets by BLACK people."
Lee Rigby, a white soldier was killed in 2013 by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich.
Symes responded to these claims saying that she was not racist. "In sharing posts on my private Facebook page, I was highlighting that there have been brutal killings of children and adults in the UK, but people didn’t protest and riot about that," she argued.
Robin Vickery, has stepped down as a Suffolk county and Ipswich borough councillor, after he shared a post on social media calling for Black and Asian people to be deported. Because of this, Vickery has resigned from the Conservative party after hundreds of people complained to the local authority over the posts.
Vickery responded with: "I have resigned from the councils and the party. I had been planning to stand down at the next elections, but I’ve had enough.
"I’m going to enjoy my retirement. I don’t need this hassle. I have been subjected to some horrible comments – far worse than anything I have said."
New information came into light, as members of Essex University’s Conservative Society have been suspended from the student’s union, after they suggested coronavirus spreading via Black Lives Matter protests was "natural selection".
One member of the society wrote in a Facebook chat group: "Corona be like, Hell, about time". Another member said: "Let them protest, the virus will decide" and added "I think it would be irresponsible to wish Covid on them. But at this point I don’t need to, it’s natural selection."
A spokesperson for the Conservatives said the party "does not tolerate racism and has acted to investigate and suspend members when appropriate".
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