RISHI Sunak has been slammed after making a statement condemning antisemitism which failed to address claims of Islamophobia levelled at the Conservative Party.
The Prime Minister released a statement on Sunday in which he accused pro-Palestine activists of being antisemitic.
But it failed to mention Islamophobia, which one of Britain’s largest Muslim bodies believes is rife among Tories after Lee Anderson (below) had the whip suspended because he refused to apologise for claiming London had been captured by “Islamists”.
It has seen the Prime Minister criticised for presiding over “deep rooted structural and institutional Islamophobia [within'] the Conservative Party”.
In his statement, Sunak claimed pro-Palestine protests had been “hijacked by extremists to promote and glorify terrorism”.
He said: “The events of recent weeks are but the latest in an emerging pattern which should not be tolerated.
READ MORE: UK's largest Muslim group urges probe into 'structural Islamophobia' in Tory party
“Legitimate protests hijacked by extremists to promote and glorify terrorism, elected representatives verbally threatened and physically, violently targeted, and antisemitic tropes beamed onto our own Parliament building.”
He also reiterated criticism of the chaotic scenes in the Commons on Wednesday night after the Speaker made the controversial decision to bend parliamentary protocol in a way that benefitted the Labour Party.
Keir Starmer (above) has been accused of having intimidated the Speaker – something both men reject – but the Commons chair has said he was acting to protect the safety of MPs amid rising levels of abuse and death threats against politicians.
READ MORE: Us Muslims are always just collateral damage in the Tories' gutter politics
Sunak added: “And in Parliament this week a very dangerous signal was sent that this sort of intimidation works. It is toxic for our society and our politics and is an affront to the liberties and values we hold dear here in Britain.
“Our democracy cannot and must not bend to the threat of violence and intimidation or fall into polarised camps who hate each other.
“The explosion in prejudice and antisemitism since the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7 are as unacceptable as they are un-British.
“Simply put, antisemitism is racism. And speaking as someone who has experienced racism, I know it when I see it.”
His comments are part of a growing chorus of right-wing politicians who accuse those protesting against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza of antisemitism.
The Muslim Association of Britain said the letter was “more proof of the deep rooted structural and institutional Islamophobia [within] the Conservative Party”.
It added: “No mention of Anderson's Islamophobic remarks nor acknowledgement of the shocking rise of Islamophobia.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Rishi Sunak's statement on hatred in politics fails to mention anti-Muslim hatred at all.
"His deputy today refused to condemn Lee Anderson’s racist and Islamophobic remarks.
"These are just the two most recent examples of enabling anti-Muslim hatred in the Conservative Party."
Sunder Katwala, director of the integration think tank British Future, added: “It is even more unprofessional, after the omission noted, to tweet the statement out, ‘antisemitic tropes [and] put simply, antisemitism is racism and I know racism when I see it’ with no reference to the anti-Muslim tropes that an MP was just suspended for.”
Campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa said: “Notice how the word ‘Islamophobia’ wasn’t even used once…
“No condemnation in the rise of Islamophobia or the disgraceful comments by Lee Anderson. This isn’t oversight. It’s a ‘choice’ and the government/Prime Minister have chosen not to call it out.”
It comes after the Muslim Council of Britain, the country’s largest Islamic umbrella organisation, called for an investigation into “structural Islamophobia” within the Conservative Party.
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