A Leicestershire councillor undermined good race relations by producing a leaflet which criticised Muslims, a watchdog has found.
Councillor Graham Partner – who quit the BNP to sit as an independent – has been censured “in the strongest possible terms” for sending out the New Year message to more than 5,000 voters in his Coalville division.
The leaflet, which featured part of an article from a national newspaper, said victimhood “comes easily” to followers of Islam. The leaflet said: “Every terrorist atrocity, every blood-soaked massacre is justified by reference to imagined grievances. But the greatest persecutors of other faiths are Muslim, themselves.”
The leaflet also made derogatory references to a Nigerian convicted of rape, Palestinians, the Third World and Pakistan.
The leaflet prompted complaints from two fellow county councillors and two parish councillors.
Yesterday, a county council standards sub-committee strongly censured Coun Partner and ruled he should undertake equality training.