A LABOUR peer whose family fled the Nazis has said he feels “sickened” by a Tory party candidate who suggested events around the Holocaust were fabricated.
As revealed in yesterday’s National, Ryan Houghton was suspended from the party after we uncovered a series of old anti-Semitic posts made on a martial arts forum.
But because the nomination deadline has passed he will still appear on ballot papers as the Tory candidate for Aberdeen North on December 12.
Houghton had praised the “interesting” research of the discredited historian and Adolf Hitler apologist David Irving. And in another post, he suggested fellow users on the forum should have a debate on how the Holocaust had been “exaggerated by the victors”.
READ MORE: Aberdeen Tory candidate Ryan Houghton's sick posts uncovered
Labour peer Lord Alf Dubs, born in Prague, was six when the German army arrived in Czechoslovakia and was one of the first passengers on Nicholas Winton’s trains carrying Jewish children to safety.
Commenting on Houghton’s posts, he said: “As someone who survived the Holocaust, I feel sickened that there will be a Conservative party candidate on the ballot paper on December 12 who claimed events in the Holocaust were fabricated.
“The Conservatives must face up to their problem with anti-Semitism. Instead of using the issue to score political points, they should challenge it in their own ranks.”
There was also criticism of Houghton from Sayeeda Warsi, a Tory peer, and former chair of the party. The Baroness has long said that her party has a “deep problem” with Islamophobia.
Earlier this month, 25 sitting and former Tory councillors were identified, in documents obtained by The Guardian, as allegedly writing or endorsing online Islamophobic posts.
In posts seen by the National, Houghton claimed that “Islams place in the world is eventual domination”. He also suggested that Muslims were having large families to create “Eurabia”.
Taking to Twitter, Warsi said: “Another day another @Conservatives found to have a history of bigotry – this time Holocaust denial.
“Homophobic & Islamophobic comments. It’s a shame this has to be done this way – the party could have been proactively anti racist rather than being consistently shamed into action.”
Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack defended the actions of the Conservative Party.
He said the Tories had acted swiftly in an interview with the BBC. “Mr Houghton was suspended immediately on discovering these anti-Semitic, homophobic and Islamophobic blogs that he had written,” Jack said.
“It was seven years ago but it’s no excuse, so we took the decision there and then to suspend him and we stand by that.
“He will remain on the ballot paper because the nominations have closed but he no longer has our support.”
In a statement released on social media late on Monday night, Houghton accused The National of taking his comments, including his call for a debate on whether or not the Holocaust had been exaggerated, out of context.
He said: “At the age of 20 on an online forum, I took part in a range of political discussions.
“These included terrorism, LGBT rights and anti-Semitism.
“In one of these threads started by another member of the forum there was a conversation about freedom of speech.
“There then followed a discussion about the Holocaust denier and now disgraced historian David Irving started by other members.
“In explaining David Irving’s position after watching one of his lectures online, I had reference his view that parts of the Holocaust had been fabricated and exaggerated.
“I made clear in subsequent forum posts that I was not defending the views of David Irving and I strongly opposed any Holocaust denial.”
The dumped candidate apologised unreservedly “for any hurt now caused by these comments”.
READ MORE: Parliament's Ross Thomson probe to go ahead despite Tory quitting
Houghton, who is a councillor in Aberdeen, is the second candidate the Tories have lost in the city.
Earlier this month, Ross Thomson announced that he would no longer contest Aberdeen South following allegations he had drunkenly groped the Labour MP Paul Sweeney in a bar in the House of Commons. Thomson denies any wrongdoing.
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