Scotland’s UKIP leader facing calls to resign after comparing country’s only Muslim minister to convicted terrorist Abu Hamza
- David Coburn apologised after comparing Humza Yousaf to Abu Hamza
- He made comment in conversation over BBC’s The Big Immigration Debate
- Mr Yousaf, SNP minister, wrote to Nigel Farage calling for his expulsion
- First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the comparison was ‘reprehensible’
- She is also calling for Scotland’s Ukip leader to be kicked out of the party
- Hate cleric was handed a life sentence for supporting terrorism this year
By Alan Roden For The Scottish Daily Mail
Published: 10:30, 14 March 2015 | Updated: 10:30, 14 March 2015
Scotland’s UKIP leader is today facing calls to resign after he compared the country’s only Muslim minister to the convicted terrorist Abu Hamza.
In conversation with the Scottish Daily Mail, David Coburn, who was elected as an MEP last year, referred to ‘Humza Yousaf, or as I call him, Abu Hamza’.
Mr Yousaf, the SNP’s Minister for Europe and International Development, said the ‘Islamophobic’ comment was one of the worst insults he had ever received.
David Coburn (left), Scotland’s Ukip leader, is facing calls to resign after he compared the country’s only Muslim minister, Humza Yousaf (right), to convicted terrorist Abu Hamza
He has written to party leader Nigel Farage to call for Mr Coburn to be expelled and is also planning to complain to the EU Ombudsman and European Parliament president Martin Schulz.
The row comes in the same week that Mr Farage was embroiled in a racism row, after he suggested most of Britain’s race relations laws should be scrapped.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said comparing her colleague to a ‘convicted terrorist’ was ‘reprehensible’ and said Mr Coburn should ‘face consequences for that’ and be kicked out of UKIP.
Last night, Mr Coburn – who is also standing to be the MP for Falkirk in May’s General Election – offered his ‘sincerest apologies’ for his comment. Ironically, earlier this year he sparked controversy by branding the SNP a ‘racist party’.
Hook-handed Abu Hamza was earlier this year handed a life sentence by a New York judge for supporting terrorism.
Abu Hamza was this year handed a life sentence by a New York judge for supporting terrorism
The hate cleric was convicted last May of multiple charges, including hostage-taking and plotting to set up a terrorism training camp in America.
His trial followed his extradition from the UK to the US in 2012 at the end of an eight-year legal battle.
Mr Coburn’s comment was made during a telephone conversation, in which he spoke about his appearance on BBC Two show The Big Immigration Debate on Tuesday.
He claimed that Mr Yousaf was supposed to be on the show, and said: ‘Humza Yousaf, or as I call him, Abu Hamza, didn’t seem to turn up.’
Challenged by the Mail during the conversation, Mr Coburn said the remark was intended to be private.
However, there had been no prior agreement that the discussion was off-the-record. Glasgow-born Mr Yousaf was yesterday alerted to the comment by the Mail, and replied: ‘I am utterly appalled, disgusted and hurt by the comments allegedly made by David Coburn MEP.
‘This is Islamophobia of the worst kind. If this was shouted at a Muslim on the street none of us would tolerate it, the fact this abuse has come from an elected member of the European Parliament is completely unacceptable.
‘Nigel Farage has been plagued by accusations of leading a racist party and this outburst from David Coburn MEP shows that UKIP are not just a party with a few rotten apples but rotten to the core.
‘If Nigel Farage is serious about UKIP being a party that will not tolerate xenophobia in any form then I expect David Coburn to be expelled from UKIP immediately and have written to Nigel Farage in that vein.’
He added: ‘David Coburn has been exposed making Islamophobic remarks and should do the honourable thing and resign.’
Mr Yousaf has written to party leader Nigel Farage (right) to call for Mr Coburn (left) to be expelled and is also planning to complain to the EU Ombudsman and European Parliament president Martin Schulz
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (left) said comparing her colleague Humza Yousaf (right) to a ‘convicted terrorist’ was ‘reprehensible’ and said Mr Coburn should be kicked out of UKIP
His letter to Mr Farage states: ‘UKIP has been plagued by a number of incidents where senior party members have made xenophobic, racist or Islamophobic remarks.
‘I am sure you will wish to distance UKIP from such attitudes and I note you have taken disciplinary action against those found to make such prejudiced remarks in the past.
‘I therefore call on you to immediately suspend David Coburn while you investigate this matter and if he is indeed found to guilty of making these remarks then I expect he will be expelled from UKIP.’
First Minister Miss Sturgeon said: ‘There seems to be no depths below which Mr Coburn will not sink. Nigel Farage should remove him from his party.’
A UKIP spokesman said: ‘Mr Coburn’s comments were made in the spirit of jest and he thought it off the record but they were in very bad taste. He has obviously caused offence and he is very sorry to have done so.
‘He has written to Mr Yousaf offering his sincerest apologies.’
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