The Conservative Party has tonight been slammed for failing to call out racism following the Diane Abbott row.
Ayesha Hazarika, a broadcaster who was political adviser to senior Labour Party politicians for eight years, appeared on tonight's Question Time on BBC and took the Tories to task on extremism.
The opening question concerned the Government's latest definition of extremism - today declared by Michael Gove as "the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to: negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others". It comes after the Tory Party's biggest donor allegedly said seeing former Labour frontbencher Diane Abbott on TV makes you “want to hate all black women”.
Ms Hazarika, a columnist and radio broadcaster, said: "What I have been seeing cynically over months, I'm sure you've all seen it here, is using extremism as a fig leaf, actually to promote a lot of anti-Muslim and Islamophobia in this country.
"I find it extraordinary that, in the week that we have had these comments from this Tory donor, the Conservative Party took a whole day to even define what racism is. They sent ministers out on the morning rounds (press interviews) saying 'this guy hadn't been racist. He had just been a bit rude.'
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"He talked about shooting a black woman, not any black woman as well, our first ever elected black woman in British political history. This is a party that couldn't even define that as racist. How on earth are they going to define what extremism is?"
Ayesha Hazarika expressed her ire at Conservative Party's handling of the Diane Abbott racism row (BBC)Her comments were applauded warmly by tonight's audience in Liverpool. When Fiona Bruce, the show's presenter, asked the room if they supported Mr Gove's response today, not a single person raised their hand.
Lee Rowley MP and Housing Minister conceded the Tories had "a difficult week" and, on the programme, said the comments about Ms Abbott were racist. The audience initially laughed as the MP for North East Derbyshire addressed Ms Hazarika's scathing criticism.
"Within politics, people say things which are incorrect. The first thing they need to do is say that was wrong and then more broadly, as a society, we have to decide what we want to do with people who get things wrong, and who say things wrong," Mr Rowley said.
"The question is 'do we forgive, or we just ostracise?' Some people in this audience will say 'that's it, we are done' and other people will say 'actually, second chances'. My personal view, I've tried to do this all the way through my career in politics as an MP, is try to give second chances, and not just on my side but on the other side as well. I think we are better as a society, as a community, if we do that."
Mr Gove, Communities Secretary, had told MPs today three Muslim-led groups and two neo-Nazi organisations could face action. He told MPs that the Muslim Association of Britain, Cage and Mend, as well as the far-right British National Socialist Movement and Patriotic Alternative, will be examined.
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