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General Election 2015: Tories suspend candidate who said she would never support 'the Jew' Ed Miliband

Conservative party spokesman describes Gulzabeen Afsar's remark as 'offensive and wrong'

Matt Dathan
Tuesday 28 April 2015 16:23 BST
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Ed Miliband, former Labour leader
Ed Miliband, former Labour leader (OLI SCARFF | AFP | Getty Images)

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The Conservatives have suspended one of their council candidates after she said she could never support “the Jew” Ed Miliband.

Gulzabeen Afsar, the Tory candidate for the ward of Littleover on Derby City Council, posted on Facebook:

“Just can’t take Mr Ed Miliband seriously!! [David Cameron] has what it takes to be the future PM."

After someone questioned her suggestion she replied: “Nah bro! never ever will I drop that low and support the al yahud lol.”

“Al Yahud” is the Arabic word for “Jew”.

A Conservative party spokesman described the remark as "offensive and wrong". The spokesman said: "There is no place in our party for these comments or attitudes and Ms Afsal has had her party membership suspended pending a full disciplinary hearing."

A screenshot of the exchange was leaked to news website Jewish News.

Mr Miliband’s father, Ralph Miliband, and mother Marion Kozak, both fled the holocaust during the Second World War.

The Labour leader describes himself as a Jewish Atheist.

A Conservative Party spokesman told local newspaper The Derby Telegraph: “Her comment was offensive and wrong. She has removed it and apologised.”

Nick Lowles from the anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate described the party’s treatment of the candidate as “a mild ticking-off” and in a tweet described the episode as an “anti-Semitic outburst”.


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