Yorkshire councillor who liked comment saying Muslims shouldn't be employed faces hearing

There were four complaints after Coun Heather Venter, who was mayor of Driffield in 2013 and 2014, supported controversial posts on Twitter.

An investigation found two breaches of Driffield Town Council’s code of conduct, which will be discussed by committee members on March 1.

Coun Venter, who will represent herself at the hearing, also admitted “liking” a comment relating to a report that police had been called to 9,000 knife crimes in a year, which read: “Its (sic) all the blacks in London.”

She was also accused of tweeting a link to an article by a neo-Nazi website that read: “White South Africans march in London Against White Genocide.”

Coun Venter alleged the complaints were politically motivated and stemmed from a previous incident involving two of the complainants and their mother, a fellow councillor - claims which were denied.

She also complained one complainant had “cut and pasted several Tweets to appear as it they are mine and made to look as if I have responded and said things that I have not”. She told the council: “to be accused of racism is very hurtful to me, I have never supported neo-Nazis and never even heard of pro-apartheid marches.” However the monitoring officer’s report found the knife crime comment was “racist and offensive” and the comment about Muslim workers “is another clear statement which is highly disrespectful to those of the Muslim faith and offensive.” The council’s Independent person Amanda Thomlinson said most people would recognise the comments as racist.