A suspended Tory election candidate has hit back at claims he allegedly plotted to win votes by taking credit for stopping an English Defence League (EDL) protest.
In a statement on his website, Afzal Amin said the claims, published in The Mail On Sunday, "grossly misrepresented" the truth and presented "an inaccurate picture of what was happening".
The would-be candidate for Dudley North is accused of collaborating with the EDL to announce a protest march against the building of a "mega-mosque".
The plan was for the protest to be scrapped with Mr Amin taking credit for defusing the situation, the newspaper reports.
In secretly-filmed footage, obtained by the newspaper, Mr Amin promised former EDL leader Tommy Robinson and current EDL chairman Steve Eddowes he would subsequently be an "unshakeable ally" in parliament.
"This is my fantasy," he says in the footage, reportedly filmed by Mr Robinson at an Indian restaurant in Birmingham on Monday.
"If I could demonstrate to the people in Dudley that I can be a positive voice for community cohesion... then that would help me a lot in the forthcoming election."
In a recorded phone call with Mr Robinson, Mr Amin also says he needs two "white" canvassers to help his campaign for election.
"I need two white, working class lads to go round those areas to say to people, 'You support the Army, if you support the troops then vote for this guy'. That's what I need," he said.
When Mr Robinson raises the question of payment Mr Amin makes it clear it is illegal to pay people to canvass during elections.
But when it is suggested the men can be paid indirectly through Mr Robinson, Mr Amin replies: "Yes of course, of course".
The allegations have prompted his suspension from the Conservative Party, which released a statement saying it views the allegations "as a matter of extremely serious concern".
Mr Robinson, who blew the whistle on the alleged plot, told Sky News Mr Amin's offer was an example of "corruption in politics" and "dishonesty".
"I couldn't believe it," he said. "Here was a man sitting before me who was telling me he was going to be the future prime minister of our country, offering bribes and money.
"This is not a one off scenario. This is going on across the country in every political party."
The Muslim candidate had been selected to stand in the contested Dudley North constituency, which has a Labour majority of 649.
As a Muslim army officer who served for over a decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Amin was considered a star Tory candidate.
He hoped to overturn the Labour majority in the General Election in May.
Just four days ago, he tweeted: "This General Election could be one of the most important of our lifetime. Now is not the time to lose faith in politics."
In the statement on his website, Mr Amin said he had been in constant communication with the police over his meetings with members of the EDL.
"During a time of heated tensions between various communities in our country, it's vital that we tackle these problems and take difficult, sometimes uncomfortable, steps.
"The potential for inter communal violence has become a real threat to the destabilisation of our country and we must prevent this at all costs.
"It's in this context that, for the past year, I was conducting discussion with Tommy Robinson."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Tory Candidate Hits Back Over 'EDL Plot' Claim
Dengan url
https://letestnewsite.blogspot.com/2015/03/tory-candidate-hits-back-over-edl-plot.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Tory Candidate Hits Back Over 'EDL Plot' Claim
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Tory Candidate Hits Back Over 'EDL Plot' Claim
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar