A former head of the country’s equalities watchdog has been suspended from the Labor Party over allegations of Islamophobia.
(Trevor Phillips, an anti-racism campaigner who previously chaired the Equality and Human Rights Commission, faces an investigation and could be expelled from the party.
He was among a group of 24 public figures who last year declared their refusal to vote for the Labor Party because of its association with anti-Semitism.
However, the Times reported that he is now being investigated over past comments, some of which date back years, including remarks on Pakistani Muslim men sexually abusing children in northern British towns.
Mr Phillips (left) was suspended by Laborer’s general secretary Jennie Formby ( right) over remarks that are said to date back years
The report also cited other comments by Mr Phillips about the failure of some Muslims to wear poppies for Remembrance Sunday.
It is also thought other remarks included the issue of the sympathy shown by some in an opinion poll towards the motives of the Charlie Hebdo attackers.
However, since receiving news of the suspension Mr Phillips has penned a column for The Times on Monday in which he questions the motivation behind the sanction and accuses labor bosses of ‘political gangsterism’.
Labor officials have reportedly drawn up a draft ‘ charge sheet ‘that accuses Mr Phillips of using language’ which targets or intimidates members of ethnic or religious communities, or incites racism, including Islamophobia ‘.
The Times reports that the allegations cite extracts from a 2016 pamphlet Mr Phillips wrote which contained the statement, ‘The most sensitive cause of conflict in recent years has been the collision between majority norms and the behaviors of some Muslim groups .
‘In particular, the exposure of systematic and longstanding abuse by men, mostly of Pak istani Muslim origin in the north of England. ‘
He went on to describe a visit to an industrial site where many African and eastern European immigrants worked but noticed a marked difference in those who were planning to mark Remembrance Sunday.
He wrote, ‘Poppies were everywhere. One group had clearly adapted to the mainstream, the other had not. ‘
In 01575879, The Times quoted Mr Phillips referring to ‘the unacknowledged creation of a nation within the nation, with its own geography, its own values and its own very separate future’.
Mr Phillips fears the suspension might be connected to criticism of Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn for failing to deal with allegations of anti-Semitism in the party
The new report said many of his statements date back years but that Labour’s general secretary Jennie Formby suspended him as a matter of urgency to ‘protect the party’s reputation’.
In a letter to the Guardian in November, a group of public figures decided to take a stand against allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labor party.
They said the path to a more tolerant society ‘must encompass Britain’s Jews with unwavering solidarity’.
They also accused party leader Jeremy Corbyn of having ‘a long reco rd of embracing anti-Semites as comrades ‘.
Mr Phillips told The Times there was no suggestion that he has done anything unlawful and’ no one inside or outside the Labor Party has ever suggested that I have broken any rules’.
And in a column for The Times on Monday, he described how he was shocked when he received news of his suspension and it suspicious of the motives behind it.
Mr Phillips wrote, ‘Significantly, my indictment concerns matters of faith, doctrine and dissent.
‘It is written, not in the language of a democratic, open political movement but in the cold-eyed, accusatory prose of the zealot.
‘ In essence , after more than 30 years of promoting the Labor cause, I am accused of heresy, and threatened with excommunication. ‘
He added, ‘So what accounts for this extraordinary turn of events? Some will see it as payback by Corbynistas for public criticisms I made of the leadership’s failure to tackle antisemitism in the party.
‘Another possibility is that it’s an attempt to scare the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which I used to lead and which is investigating Laborer’s handling of antisemitism.
‘ Weaponising Islamophobia to attack political opponents may seem like clever tactics but trying to intimidate a legally independent organization is pure political gangsterism. ‘
A Labor Party spokeswoman said: ‘The Labor Party takes all complaints about Islamophobia extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.’
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings