UK Conservative Candidate Suspended over Anti-Semitic Post
Britain's Conservative party on Monday said it had suspended its candidate in an upcoming local election after she vowed never to support "the Jew" Ed Miliband, leader of the Labor party.
Gulzabeen Afsar was hoping to be elected to a council seat near Derby, central England, when Britain goes to the polls on May 7, but will not now be able to run after posting the "offensive and unacceptable remarks" on Facebook.
She initially wrote that she "just can't take Mr. Ed Miliband seriously!!," to which a user named Ziad Amjad replied that she should show "some respect for the future PM."
Afsar then wrote: "Nah bro! never ever will I drop that low and support the al yahud lol." Al Yahud is Arabic for "the Jew".
The Tories issued a statement saying that the "candidate concerned has now been formally suspended" from the party.
"We have taken this prompt action to suspend the candidate following offensive and unacceptable remarks made on social media," said the statement.
"Our party is opposed to any form of discrimination, and clearly we could not countenance someone potentially representing us whilst holding such views of intolerance."
Baggy Shanker, a spokesman for the local Labor party, told local paper the Derby Telegraph: "As an ethnic minority councilor myself, it's very disappointing. I'd expect her to have better control of her comments."
Britain will elect over 20,000 local councilors at the May 7 general election, where voters will also decide the make up of the national parliament.
Source: Agence France Presse
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