Anti-Ulez groups managed by Conservative-linked individuals found to be 'a cesspit of vile racism and hate speech’
Facebook groups run by Conservative Party operatives that oppose London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) are ‘a cesspit of vile racism and hate speech’, an investigation by Unearthed has found.
A network of 36 private Facebook groups set up to oppose the expansion of Ulez and almost all run by people with close professional ties to the Conservative party including councillors, campaign managers and a borough mayor, have hosted nasty and violent content, the investigation has uncovered.
Reporters found widespread racism and Islamophobia as well as conspiracy theories and celebrations of criminal damage on the pages, including sharing the white supremacist slogan and antisemitic videos.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was targeted with much of the racist content, the investigation found, including a commenter describing the capital as “Londonistan” and claiming England is “overrun and being run by a load of foreigners” and subject to “third world people”.
The Tory London mayoral candidate Susan Hall was listed as a member of at least six of the groups, and has interacted or posted in two of them, although there was no evidence she engaged in racist, Islamophobic or other extremist content.
Other Tory MPs and councillors, including Policing Minister Chris Philp, Steve Tuckwell and Sir Bob Neill, were also members of a number of the groups although they have not posted or engaged in the extremist content. Chris Philp and Sir Bob Neil both said they were leaving the groups when its harmful content was highlighted by Greenpeace’s Unearthed investigative team.
More than two thirds of the groups targeted at different London boroughs were set up within two days of each other in January 2023, marking the run-up to the expansion of Ulez. Unearthed found that 46 out of the 82 admins have clear links to the Tory Party, including a recent digital campaign manager for the party and a conservative activist. Conservative councillor for Haywards Heath, Rachel Cromie, is an admin on all the groups.
Some groups claim that posts are actively moderated by admins and that ‘discriminative language will be removed’, however the extremely troubling material circulated suggests differently.
Ami McCarthy, political campaigner for Greenpeace UK described the groups as “an absolute cesspit of vile racism and hate speech” and “a breeding ground for dangerous conspiracy theories”.
“That they’re being managed by Conservative operatives speaks volumes about the direction in which the party has gone, and just how toxic these anti-ULEZ campaigns have become,” said McCarthy.
“Susan Hall’s track record of engaging with racist content online has been well documented, but her membership in these groups sinks her to a new low. The party should launch a full investigation into this whole shameful scandal and everyone involved.”
In response to the Unearthed investigation, a Conservative Party spokesperson said the party “unequivocally condemns all discriminatory language, and never encourages nor condones vandalism or criminal activity” and that “the Conservative Party is reviewing its processes and policies regarding Facebook groups.”
Labour’s Party chair Anneliese Dodds said the investigation uncovered “appalling racism” and condemned Susan Hall’s presence in the groups.
Hannah Davenport is news reporter at Left Foot Forward
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