7 May 2013
Tony Nixon, a UK Independence Party (UKip) member from Guisborough who canvassed nearly 800 homes for the party in the most recent election, has been suspended by the UKip for allegedly posting anti-Muslim material on his Facebook page. Mr. Nixon’s page contained a number of anti-Muslim jokes advocating the destruction of Mosques and calling Islam “The Crime Against Humanity.” Mr. Nixon also “liked” right wing groups such as the English Defence League (EDL), saying that the EDL and the UKip are on the same side “in the fight against traitors to Britain.”
The UKip did surprisingly well in the recent County Council elections held earlier this month, winning 153 council seats and finishing ahead of the Conservative party candidates in 500 council seats across the country. The party calls for an overhaul of the immigration system in the United Kingdom, advocating a five year freeze on permanent settlement and withdrawal from the European Convention of Human Rights and the European Convention on Refugees. In response to the allegations against Mr. Nixon, the party said, “We do not condone racist or any other inappropriate comments and regard them as totally abhorrent and if anyone else is discovered acting in such an appalling way they will be thrown out of the party.”
North Yorkshire police are aware of Mr. Nixon’s alleged comments and are currently investigating the matter.
