Tory mayor expelled from party blamed ‘Jews for Jesus’s death’
A TORY mayor who was expelled from the Conservative Party in an anti-semitism row suggested that Jewish people are responsible for Jesus’s death, The Telegraph can reveal.
Atiqul Hoque, a member of Salisbury City Council in Wiltshire, has been accused of making “offensive and inappropriate comments” on Whatsapp and other social media platforms.
On Tuesday night he was expelled from the Conservative Party with immediate effect after officials investigated a formal complaint that was filed against him by a fellow Tory supporter.
Mr Hoque, who became the city’s first Muslim mayor when he was elected last May, is appealing the sanction and vowed to continue “representing the people of Salisbury” as an independent.
The Telegraph has obtained messages understood to have formed part of the investigation, which show Mr Hoque condemning “Zionist paymaster[s]” and appearing to reference an anti-semitic trope about Jews being Christ-killers.
The comments came in a Whatsapp group of Salisbury city councillors on Nov 28 last year, which began with Mr Hoque sharing a picture of a Salisbury Journal newspaper letter written by a Jewish woman that criticised the local Tory MP John Glen for voting against a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.
Mr Hoque captioned the screenshot with the words “faith restored”, which led to a fellow Tory councillor saying that “a letter accusing Israel of genocide [and] calling it a Zionist state is not one I think we should be lauding”.
Mr Hoque responded by claiming that ministers “will lose their post if they suggest 2 estate (sic) solutions not Jewish people but Zionist the pay mastered (sic) will NOT accept it’s not in their narrative to do so”.
Following a quote from the Quran, Mr Hoque concluded his 300-word message by remarking how “don’t forget who planted the crucifixion of our beloved Jesus Christ peace be upon him, they are good at that...”.
Sources close to the case said this was an apparent reference to the Jewish deicide, a historic conspiracy theory that Jews of all generations are collectively responsible for Jesus’s death which has led to pogroms and massacres of Jews during the Crusades, the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions and others.
The Telegraph understands that the message exchange formed part of the complaint made against Mr Hoque.
The Salisbury Conservative Association said in a statement: “Following a careful examination of the evidence, it has been determined that councillor Hoque’s comments are in clear breach of the standards expected from individuals holding public office.
“As a result, the Conservative Party has taken the decision to expel Councillor Atiqul Hoque from the party.”
In a statement, Mr Hoque told The Telegraph: “I am disappointed the story has been sent to the media when I was told to keep the matter confidential. There is no truth whatsoever in the allegations that I am anti-semitic. I will be fighting to clear my name as I am entirely innocent of these allegations.”