Welsh Councillor denies Facebook post was 'anti-Muslim slur'

The South Wales Argus draws attention to the use of the term “muzzy” in a Facebook post by a councillor in Torfaen suggesting violence is an endemic feature of Islam.

Mike Harris, an Independent councillor elected in 2012 to represent the Pontypool ward on Torfaen Borough council, posted the remark “Once a Muzzy!” alongside an article in the Daily Mail about the reported executions of 11 suspected informers by Hamas.

Harris, who also serves as a chairman of the Safer Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee, defended his post by asserting “it is not racist” and denied it was an anti-Muslim slur.

According to South Wales Argus, while referring to the picture accompanying the news article which shows executioners with guns, Harris claimed the post was intended to indicate that “They are executing people so they must be confused and not able to think clearly or muzzy as it says in the dictionary.”

His defence and explanation is questionable when taken alongside previous anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant comments posted on his social media page. In 2012, Harris declared his support for the BNP’s immigration policies and called for “an Act through Parliament to reclassify all immigrants as being illegal immigrants”.

Moreover, he wrote on Facebook that “Towns and cities all over our beautiful country now resemble parts of Asia and Africa” and “Muslim extremism is flourishing on the streets of Britain”.

A council spokesman confirmed that the council had been contacted by members of the public in relation to the latest post. Although concerns have subsequently been referred to the Public Service Ombudsman, the Ombudsman has not received a complaint in relation to the ‘Muzzy’ remark.