۱۰ فروردین ۱۴۰۳ |۱۹ رمضان ۱۴۴۵ | Mar 29, 2024
News ID: 361587
7 October 2020 - 01:34
Dorset 'close mosques' councillor did not breach code

A Conservative councillor accused of making Islamophobic comments on social media did not breach a council's code of conduct, an independent investigation has found.

Hawzah News Agency - A Conservative councillor accused of making Islamophobic comments on social media did not breach a council's code of conduct, an independent investigation has found.

In one post, Dorset councillor Beverley Dunlop suggested banning mosques.

Investigator Tim Darsley said she had been acting in a personal capacity rather than an as an elected official when she made the comments.

BCP Council's standards committee will be asked to accept his findings. Several posts made by the Moordown ward councillor, in two different Facebook groups, were included in a dossier sent to The Guardian, highlighting alleged Islamophobia among Conservative councillors, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In one of the posts, Ms Dunlop said: "I hate to ban anything really but I'd suggest we start with mosques."

In another she said fundamentalists were "hiding in plain sight in the Muslim community" and that this would not change "until they are more frightened of the British government (because they and their families might get deported) than they are Isis".

Ms Dunlop said her comments had been taken out of context.

'Hateful views'

However, a formal complaint was made to the council by Bournemouth University lecturer Osman Ahmed in November last year.

He said her comments brought the council "into disrepute" and she should be "removed from her position".

"Religion is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, and expressing disrespectful, ignorant, and frankly hateful views such as these is wholly incompatible with a councillor holding public office," he said.

In his report, Mr Darsley said he was "satisfied" the comments were made through a private account that was not connected to her work as a councillor, and that she had not broken any rules.

Despite warning of the risk that the decision could "undermine" public confidence in the power of the council to deal with potentially inappropriate comments made by councillors privately on social media, he said the authority had to "act in accordance with the legal framework that exists" and accept the findings.

Members of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council's standards committee will meet at 18:00 BST to discuss the report.

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