Yorkshire councillor urged to quit over offensive Facebook postings

A Ryedale councillor is facing calls to resign after posting a series of offensive “jokes” on his Facebook page.

Sherburn’s Conservative ward councillor John Raper shared posts mocking Muslims, homosexuals and other ethnic minorities over the course of 12 months.

One of the posts involved the suggestion of a whip-round to procure petrol in order to allow three Muslim protesters to set themselves on fire.

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In another post, he shared a post to call on Britain to ban the burka and also published a picture of David Cameron promising to “hand-over” the country to a Muslim man.

Cllr Raper remained defiant when contacted by the press, saying his Facebook page was “private” before cryptically adding “Je suis Charlie, remember Lee Rigby” before hanging up.

Ironically, Mr Raper had previously warned councillors to be careful of what they post online.

A Ryedale District Council spokesman said: “The Facebook page is not used by John Raper in his capacity as a member of Ryedale District Council. It is used for personal purposes only.

“The Members Code of Conduct only applies to members acting in their capacity as a councillor.”