Down-under racists target Bradford councillor over ‘Allah litter’ row

John Robertshaw (Con, Bowling and Barkerend), spoke out after the anti-littering leaflets produced by Bradford Council and aimed specifically at Muslims had to be scrapped.

Around 16,000 of the full-colour, glossy flyers were printed six months ago but were never distributed after a senior council manager spotted their potential to offend.

The Tory group also believes if they had been distributed, the council could have faced charges for inciting racial hatred.

The leaflet fulminated about the evils of dropping litter and went on to say:

“What does Islam say about the environment we live in?” and quotes verses of the Koran and that Allah has declared the whole of the earth as a place of prayer for Muslims.”

Coun Robertshaw, chairman of the council’s social care overview and scrutiny committee, discovered the leaflets by chance.

He said that he had received a number of offensive emails and phone calls since the story broke.

He said: “I have broad shoulders but I am going to the police and our legal services manager about this, it is unacceptable.

“I did what was right and I will not be intimidated.

“If an extremist organisation had got hold of these leaflets and they had been distributed in Bradford I think it would have caused a degree of unrest.

“My ward has a high proportion of Muslims and the fact that the leaflet did not eventually get distributed has reassured them somewhat.” He is due to raise the matter at full council.

The leader of the council, Ian Greenwood, said a junior official had made a mistake and it has been rectified as soon as senior management realised the error.

He said it was “not appropriate” to promote or criticise any particular religious view.