ANAS Sarwar has described Labour’s disciplinary process as “not fit for purpose” after the party dismissed a complaint he made against a councillor accused of making a racist comment.
The Glasgow MSP claimed last year his party colleague made the remark during his campaign to succeed Kezia Dugdale as Scottish Labour leader in 2017.
Davie McLachlan was subsequently named as the councillor and he was suspended from the party as it launched an investigation into the remark, which McLachlan categorically denied. He was alleged to have told Sarwar he could not support him in his leadership bid because “Scotland wouldn’t vote for a brown Muslim Paki”.
READ MORE: Anas Sarwar's complaint over ‘racial slur’ rejected by Labour
At the party’s National Constitutional Committee (NCC) hearing in Glasgow on Monday, the case against McLachlan was dismissed.
In a detailed statement yesterday, Sarwar said he was told of the meeting last Thursday and when he appeared he was informed he could not give evidence as he had not given two weeks notice of his intention to appear as a witness. He called for the party’s disciplinary process to be reformed and devolved , saying “complaints made in Scotland should be dealt with in Scotland”.
Setting out the background to his complaint he said he made it after launching a campaign against racism and Islamophobia and decided to share his own experience.
He added: “After 15 months of little or no communication or updates, I was notified by the Labour Party late in the afternoon last Thursday that the NCC hearing would be on Monday, April 29, at 11am – just four days later.
“I was asked if I could make myself available as a witness. I emailed back expressing my disappointment at the short notice and asking a number of questions about the process. I got a response back at 8.30am on Monday morning and all the relevant paperwork sent to me just before 9am for a hearing that was due to start at 11am. When I arrived at the hearing I was informed by an NCC representative that I could not give evidence as I had not given the committee two weeks’ notice of my intention to appear as a witness.
“I am left with the sad impression that Islamophobia is one of the last acceptable forms of prejudice … It’s now clear that the Labour Party’s disciplinary process is deeply flawed and not fit for purpose.”
McLachlan said his reputation had been badly damaged by the allegation against him, adding: “My reputation and character have been badly maligned by the false accusations that were made against me but there is some consolation for me in the fact that there are many, many people who know for sure that I never have, and never would, harbour racist views.”
A spokesman for Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: “The complaints Anas Sarwar has made about how this case has been handled deserve to be treated seriously and he is entitled to a full explanation.
“I have said for some time now we need to ensure these kind of cases are dealt with more efficiently and more quickly, while maintaining a fair, transparent and rigorous system ... Anas has my full support for his campaign to root out racism and Islamophobia in our society.”
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