Anti-Muslim nationalists hosted in Parliament by Tory MP Bob Blackman
Friday October 27 2017
On October 18th, Conservative MP Bob Blackman hosted a parliamentary event entitled ‘Tolerating the Intolerant’. The keynote speaker was Indian far-right activist Tapan Ghosh, well-known for his violent and extreme Islamophobic views.
These personalities should never be allowed into Parliament. They should never be provided with a platform to spread their dangerous and violent rhetoric. Rather than giving such ideologies public exposure, it is the duty of our political representatives to protect against the advancing of hatred.
- We demand that Bob Blackman steps down from the Communities and Local Government Select Committee.
- We demand that Bob Blackman formally apologises for hosting and legitimising Mr Ghosh.
- We demand that Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, and First Secretary of State, Damian Green, also issue a formal apology and condemnation of the event.
- We demand that an investigation is launched into Mr Blackman’s actions and negligence.
Please urgently action the alert below. You can read the full report here.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
All letters can be found in the orange box below.
- If you are a constituent from Harrow East, copy, paste and send the first letter below to your MP Bob Blackman, condemning him for hosting a well-known anti-Muslim extremist and asking him to step down from his role in the Department of Communities and Local Government.
You can contact Bob Blackman here: [email protected] - copy, paste and send the second letter below into the online contact form for the Prime Minister condemning Blackman’s actions and demanding his resignation from his role in the Department of Communities and Local Government. The online form can be found here
- copy, paste and send the third letter below to Clive Betts, chair of the Communities and Local Government committee, condemning Blackman’s actions and demanding his resignation from his role in the Department of Communities and Local Government.
You can contact Clive Betts here: [email protected] - copy, paste and send the fourth and fifth letter below to Amber Rudd and Damien Green, condemning the event and demanding a formal apology.
You can contact Amber Rudd here: [email protected]
You can contact Damien Green here: [email protected]
You can also download the letter here.
“1. Letter to Bob Blackman MP
Dear Mr Blackman,
I am writing in reference to the recent parliamentary event “Tolerating the Intolerant” that took place on 18th October in Committee Room 12. I would hereby like to ask you to formally apologise and to resign from the Communities and Local Government Select Committee.
As a proud and concerned British citizen, I was appalled to learn that during the event at the House of Commons you hosted as keynote speaker the well-known extremist Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh, a man who, among other things, has praised the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Burma and has called on the UN to curb the Muslim global birth rate.
As a member of the Harrow East constituency, I am ashamed that my MP has given a platform to Mr Ghosh’s extreme and violent views, and has enabled him to gain public exposure by allowing him into Parliament. The House of Commons is no place for extremists who celebrate genocides and fuel violent hatred against religious minorities, and it was your responsibility to stop him from participating in your event.
I am saddened that you have failed to prevent this, and even more so that you have refused to apologise for it. This is not an issue of free speech as you have repeatedly suggested. This is an issue of legitimising the heinous and appalling views of a far-right extremist.
I also firmly believe that your presence on Mr Ghosh’s panel is incompatible with your current role as member of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee. Local governments play a pivotal role in enabling social cohesion and promoting social equality. Their work, particularly the ‘Cohesive Communities Programme’ inherently involves integrating communities of different faiths, and as such will be severely compromised by your actions.
I urge you to publicly apologise for this event and to resign from the Communities and Local Government Select Committee.
I very much look forward to your response to this letter,
Sincerely,
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2. Letter to Prime Minister Theresa May
Madam Prime Minister Theresa May,
I am writing regarding the recent parliamentary event “Tolerating the Intolerant” that took place on 18th October.
I was appalled to learn that during the event at the House of Commons, Mr Blackman hosted as keynote speaker the well-known extremist Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh, a man who, among other things, has praised the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Burma and has called on the UN to curb the Muslim global birth rate.
Mr Blackmans’s actions are incompatible with his current role as member of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee and I urge you to have him removed from position.
I very much look forward to your response to this letter,
Sincerely,
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3. Letter to Clive Betts MP
Dear Mr Betts,
I am writing in reference to the recent parliamentary event “Tolerating the Intolerant” that took place on 18th October in Committee Room 12. I would hereby like to ask you to publicly condemn Bob Blackman’s actions and to remove him from his role as member of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee.
As a proud and concerned British citizen, I was appalled to learn that during the event at the House of Commons on October 18, Mr Blackman has hosted as keynote speaker the well-known extremist Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh, a man who, among other things, has praised the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Burma and has called on the UN to curb the Muslim global birth rate.
In doing so, Mr Blackman has given a platform to Mr Ghosh’s extreme and violent views, and has enabled him to gain public exposure by allowing him into Parliament. The House of Commons is no place for extremists who celebrate genocides and fuel violent hatred against religious minorities, and it was his responsibility to stop Mr Ghosh from participating in the event.
I am saddened that he has failed to prevent this, and even more so that he has refused to apologise for it. This is not an issue of free speech as he has repeatedly suggested. This is an issue of legitimising the heinous and appalling views of a far-right extremist.
I also firmly believe that Mr Blackmans’s presence on Mr Ghosh’s panel is incompatible with his current role as member of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee. Local governments play a pivotal role in enabling social cohesion and promoting social equality. Their work, particularly the ‘Cohesive Communities Programme’ inherently involves integrating communities of different faiths, and as such will be severely compromised by his actions.
I am confident that you will take the necessary actions to distance yourself and the Select Committee from Mr Blackman’s negligence, and I strongly urge you to have him removed from the Communities and Local Government Select Committee and to launch an investigation into his actions.
I very much look forward to your response to this letter,
Sincerely,
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Letter to Home Secretary Amber Rudd
Dear Home Secretary,
I am writing in reference to the recent event “Tolerating the Intolerant” that took place on 18th October in Committee Room 12. I would hereby like to ask you to publicly condemn Bob Blackman’s actions and to issue a formal apology for attending the event.
As a proud and concerned British citizen, I was appalled to learn that during the event at the House of Commons on October 18, Mr Blackman has hosted as keynote speaker the well-known extremist Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh, a man who, among other things, has praised the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Burma and has called on the UN to curb the Muslim global birth rate.
In doing so, Mr Blackman has given a platform to Mr Ghosh’s extreme and violent views, and has enabled him to gain public exposure by allowing him into Parliament. The House of Commons is no place for extremists who celebrate genocides and fuel violent hatred against religious minorities, and it was his responsibility to stop Mr Ghosh from participating in the event.
I am saddened that he has failed to prevent this, and even more so that he has refused to apologise for it. This is not an issue of free speech as he has repeatedly suggested. This is an issue of legitimising the heinous and appalling views of a far-right extremist.
I also firmly believe that Mr Blackmans’s presence on Mr Ghosh’s panel is incompatible with his current role as member of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee. Local governments play a pivotal role in enabling social cohesion and promoting social equality. Their work, particularly the ‘Cohesive Communities Programme’ inherently involves integrating communities of different faiths, and as such will be severely compromised by his actions.
I am confident that you will take the necessary actions to distance yourself from Mr Blackman’s negligence, and I strongly urge you to publicly condemn his choice and to launch an investigation into his actions.
I very much look forward to your response to this letter,
Sincerely,
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Letter to First Secretary of State Damian Green
Dear Mr Green,
I am writing in reference to the recent event “Tolerating the Intolerant” that took place on 18th October in Committee Room 12. I would hereby like to ask you to publicly condemn Bob Blackman’s actions and to issue a formal apology for attending the event.
As a proud and concerned British citizen, I was appalled to learn that during the event at the House of Commons on October 18, Mr Blackman has hosted as keynote speaker the well-known extremist Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh, a man who, among other things, has praised the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Burma and has called on the UN to curb the Muslim global birth rate.
In doing so, Mr Blackman has given a platform to Mr Ghosh’s extreme and violent views, and has enabled him to gain public exposure by allowing him into Parliament. The House of Commons is no place for extremists who celebrate genocides and fuel violent hatred against religious minorities, and it was his responsibility to stop Mr Ghosh from participating in the event.
I am saddened that he has failed to prevent this, and even more so that he has refused to apologise for it. This is not an issue of free speech as he has repeatedly suggested. This is an issue of legitimising the heinous and appalling views of a far-right extremist.
I also firmly believe that Mr Blackmans’s presence on Mr Ghosh’s panel is incompatible with his current role as member of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee. Local governments play a pivotal role in enabling social cohesion and promoting social equality. Their work, particularly the ‘Cohesive Communities Programme’ inherently involves integrating communities of different faiths, and as such will be severely compromised by his actions.
I am confident that you will take the necessary actions to distance yourself from Mr Blackman’s negligence, and I strongly urge you to publicly condemn his choice and to launch an investigation into his actions.
I very much look forward to your response to this letter,
Sincerely,
”