Bradford Council scraps 16,000 leaflets telling Muslims not to drop litter

Bradford Council printed 16,000 flyers at a cost of around £350 but they were called back after a senior manager saw the content.

However the authority has come under fire for allowing the project to go so far, with Conservative councillors claiming if the leaflets had hit the streets, the council would have been accused of inciting racial hatred.

Councillor John Robertshaw, Chairman of the Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said: “I came across the existence of this leaflet by chance. I was mortified to learn that the council has 16,000 of them.

“I find it impossible to accept that particularly in these financially difficult times no one proof read the original draft and prevented money being wasted on a leaflet which could never have been distributed.

“A leaflet encouraging people not to drop litter, specifically targeting believers in Islam is so outrageous that I still find it hard to believe that this has happened. What next, leaflets to individually alienate our Christian, Hindu and Buddhist residents?

“If these had gone out the council could have been charged with inciting racial hatred, suggesting that litter dropping is exclusive to or more prevalent amongst Muslims.”

It is understood that the leaflets were aimed areas of the city with a high Muslim population and which the council says it has a problem with messy streets.

Council leader Ian Greenwood said the leaflets were an “honest mistake” by a junior officer, and were immediately halted once a senior manager had seen the content.

“We are not in the business of hanging a junior officer out to dry,” he said. “These leaflets were well intentioned but misguided, and were stopped as soon as a senior officer realised the content.”