Mayor of London Boris Johnson has been accused of giving his support to an event which features a number of antisemitic and homophobic speakers.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has been accused of giving his support to an event which features a number of antisemitic and homophobic speakers.
According to the website of the Global Peace and Unity festival (GPU), Mayor Boris Johnson has sent a “message of support” to the organisers of an event that has been condemned by human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell as promoting speakers with “bigoted, violent views”.
The event which takes place at the ExCel centre in East London today and tomorrow features a number of preachers who are on record as having made extremist comments.
These are:
Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, who has defended Pakistan laws that impose the death penalty for blasphemy;
Sheikh Shady Al-Suleiman, who believes that adulterers should be stoned to death;
Iman Abdul Wahid Pedersen, who has also defended the stoning of adulterers;
Sheikh Said Rageah, who has used the bigoted term “kuffar” to describe non-Muslims and who has called for “blasphemers” to be killed;
Sheikh Muhammad Al Shareef, who has claimed that Jews control the media and that Muslims should keep away from them, and that homophobia is praiseworthy.
And yet despite this, the GPU website contains what appear to be glowing words of support from no less than Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Labour MP Stephen Timms and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
Johnson is quoted on the GPU website as saying that the event “increases understanding and encourages dialogue throughout the Muslim community and beyond”.
“I am delighted to send a message of support to the organisers and attendees at the Global Peace & Unity Event,” he added.
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said it was “appalling that the Mayor, City of London police and prominent public figures are endorsing an event that promotes at least seven speakers with bigoted, violent views”.
“It’s the equivalent of supporting an event with BNP and EDL hate speakers.”
Left Foot Forward has contacted the office of Boris Johnson to confirm that the words featured on the GPU website are indeed the Mayor’s but we are still waiting for a response
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
5 Responses to “Boris accused of backing festival of hate”
Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabbado.
What’s happened to Stephen Timms? Last I knew he had the largest majority of any Labour MP and now he’s ‘forrmer’.
SarahAB
The Boris Johnson quote seems to date back to 2009 http://aaronovitch.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/but-he-is-simply-unwilling-to-let-his.html
KBPlayer
“According to the website of GPU” – aren’t they proven liars?
Sparky
But we can’t criticize non-white people -it’s racist. Left wingers have been telling us this for years. Better just to wait for a safe story to crop up, like the EDL, then we can all leap in to show how much we loathe hatred and intolerance.
TM
For once, you are right. I have no love of the Middle class Lefties either when they happily criticise white racism but are almost pathologically loathe to criticise racism and hatred when it comes from people who are not white. Yes, that hypocrisy sticks in my craw too. There are three words you need to know about those type of trendy Lefties: Middle class guilt.
Criticise them all or effectively you criticise none.