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TEHRAN, Feb 04 - A number of Conservative Party lawmakers in the UK parliament have welcomed the launch of a far-right anti-Islam group in Britain, despite recent warnings of a potential rise in right-wing and anti-Muslim sentiments unless politicians tackle long-standing xenophobia that led to the Brexit vote.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - British media reported Monday that several Tory lawmakers, including prominent figure Jacob Rees-Mogg, had praised the work of Turning Point UK, the offshoot of an anti-Islam organization established in the United States.
On Sunday, the lawmakers tweeted supportive messages for Turning Point UK and also retweeted the group’s message about initiation of its activities in Britain.
The support expressed for the anti-Islam group is the latest to come from a surge in far-right Islamophobic views in the British politics. In a shocking move last year, The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) hired Tommy Robinson, the top Islamophobic figure in Britain.
Former Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, a main figure in the Conservative Party, also sparked widespread controversy last summer when he wrote an article and compared Muslim women wearing burqa to bank robbers and letterboxes.
Turning Point UK has reportedly enjoyed secret support from the Conservative Party politicians. Its head is George Farmer, the son of a Tory peer and multimillionaire Michael Farmer who has spent money to help the group launch its work in the UK.
The group’s parent organization, Turning Point USA, has been accused in the US of anti-Islam views and connections to racism. The American group openly promotes far-right views by publishing anti-Muslim messages. Its members have been described as ardent supporters of US President Donald Trump.
Experts believe rising hate crimes against Muslims in Britain could be linked to a trend among politicians who try to pander to the Islamophobic figures with the aim of gaining the vote of their supporters.
Reports last year suggested attacks on Muslim women had increased following Johnson’s controversial column in the Daily Telegraph. Official government reports have also confirmed that Muslims have been target of frequent hate crimes in the country.
Source: Press TV
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