Tory leader’s post ‘grossly offensive’
PRESSURE is mounting on the South Durham Conservative party to apologise after its leading member posted a message (above) which has been described as “grossly offensive” to black and ethnic minority people, writes Stuart Minting.
Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Party leaders have called for councillor Pauline Culley, Darlington Borough Council leader councillor Heather Scott and Darlington MP Peter Gibson to issue a statement after Culley posted a Facebook message stating that “white slaves were sold for centuries”.
The message said: “All our ancestors took slaves, sold slaves, or were slaves. You’re not special. Black people owned and sold slaves. Asian people, native people and Middle Eastern people owned and sold slaves.
“Everyone’s ancestors participated in slavery, it wasn’t exclusive to white people. Stop trying to make people feel guilty for things they didn’t do.”
Opposition councillors said that the message, which featured a picture of white women being restrained by Arab men in a desert setting, appeared to be an attempt to undermine the Black Lives Matter movement.
When asked about the post, Culley, Scott and Gibson all declined to comment.
However, opposition members said Culley, who has represented Mowden in Darlington since 2014 and is chair of South Durham Conservatives,
had previously shown a lack of understanding to those suffering elsewhere, with a Facebook post stating “Black Labs matter”. They added that in 2017, Culley had displayed insensitivity, claiming her ward resembled a “third world country” due to the council cutting the grass once a month.
Labour group leader councillor Stephen Harker said he would write to Scott asking for an explanation about the post.
He said: “It is quite clear they are aware there’s an issue with the post as they have taken down the entire Facebook page.
“They can’t just pretend this hasn’t happened. This post is beyond belief and grossly offensive – it belittles the issues facing minorities to an appalling extent.”
The Liberal Democrat group leader, councillor Anne Marie Curry, said while factually correct, the post ran counter to the issue that black people and ethnic minorities were facing disproportionate treatment. She said the Tories needed to clarify their position.
Councillor Matthew Snedker, who is the Darlington Green Party leader, said the post had demeaned Culley’s position as chair of South Durham Conservatives and would only serve to inflame race issues. (Local Democracy Reporting Service)