- 09/07/2019
- Posted by: Hillingdon Labour
- Category: News
“I know what it is like to be called a ‘paki’, or a ‘wog’, to be strung up on my first day of senior school because I was a different colour” were the words of Hillingdon Labour Councillor Jazz Dhillon when proposing his motion on Islamophobia to the Hillingdon Council meeting that took place last week.
The motion submitted by Councillor Dhillon called on the Council to adopt definition of Islamophobia put forward by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims that “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness”, and to make clear that any person who has expressed Islamophobic views has no place in public life in Hillingdon.
The motion was successfully amended by the Conservative Group on Hillingdon Council, removing the definition of Islamophobia and removing the assertion that any person who has expressed Islamophobia views has no place in public life in the borough. The amended motion said that the Council would consider the recommendations of the All Party Parliamentary Group as part of it’s regular review of Council policy.
Speaking after the Council meeting, Cllr Dhillon said:
“After the Council rightfully passed a motion adopting the IHRA definition of anti-semitism, it was only right that due to the rise in hate crime and attacks on Muslims, that the Council condemned these attacks and agreed that no person expressing islamophobic views is worthy of public office in this borough. Unfortunately the motion was amended to remove that point, but it is still something to recognise that the Council has taken action to condemn attacks and regularly review our own policies.”
