Stoke lord mayor says sorry for sharing ‘racist’ posts
The Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent is being investigated after sharing a series of posts on her personal Facebook page that have been condemned as racist.
Jackie Barnes highlighted one missive, which said: “No one rioted in the UK when two black men hacked Lee Rigby to death. Where were you all then?” Another referred to a “group of black men” attacking two police officers in London.
The councillor – a member of the City Independents group – has now apologised and referred herself to
Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s standards committee for a full investigation.
But supporters have pointed out she also posted several posts that appeared to be anti-racist, including one photo in which a white and black baby play together under the caption: “God created life, not races”.
In a statement, Ms Barnes said: “I am truly sorry that any of my actions may have caused distress or offence to anyone. That was not and would never be my intention. I hope that in my duties as lord mayor and as a councillor, residents will have seen that I treat everyone with respect. I am proud to be a part of such a diverse city.”
And she added: “Over the past 48 hours, I have looked long and hard through my social media feed. I have shared content on a whole range of subjects from different perspectives. I can see that a few of these may have caused offence. I deeply regret this.”
The discovery of the posts came amid global anti-racism protests that were sparked by the death of unarmed black man George Floyd while being arrested in the US.
Jason Hill, of North Staffordshire Campaign Against Racism and Fascism, said the organisation was “concerned” by the material and feared it could create division the midlands city. He said: “Hanley Town Hall has been lit up in memory of George Floyd, which was a fantastic gesture. So it is incredibly disappointing that our lord mayor seems to want to share things which make a mockery of the issues that Floyd’s death have brought to the fore.
“Stoke-on-Trent is a diverse and multicultural city, and the kind of racist material circulated by Jackie Barnes should have no place in public discourse.”
The Labour Party, meanwhile, has called for Ms Barnes to resign from her post, although she is already due to be stand down in September – when she will be replaced by party colleague Melanie Baddeley, a former British National Party parliamentary candidate.
A council spokesperson said: “The city council takes very seriously the conduct of councillors and officers. Stoke-on-Trent prides itself on being a diverse and multicultural city and it goes without saying that we should always ensure the city council is an authority based on equality and fairness.
“Councillor Barnes has taken the decision to refer herself through the council’s standards process, which is responsible for ensuring that councillors operate in a way that adheres to the members’ code of conduct.”