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.’
Greg Lance - Watkins (Greg_L-W)
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geoffbastin said
Yes these sorts of insults are so reprehensible! It’s on a par with some I’ve seen today comparing Nigel Farage with Hitler. Come on and let’s grow up and accept these sorts of insults that all sides are throwing around during this campaign. I suppose for all those who feel so aggrieved they should have gone to an all girls school like I did then they would know what an insult was. Still there’s no accounting for a sensitive Scotsman who lacks a sense of humour. I expect he’s one of those that think Jeremy Clarkson should be sacked. And since when did we discover that comparing one person with another is Islamophobic. If anything they are only rather rude but then we are used to reading rude commentary on this blog.
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Greg Lance-Watkins said
Hi,
thanks yet again for the opportunity of clarifying and reitterating the points I have made.
I believe you will find that people have not likened Nigel Farage to Adolf Hitler but have shown many of his skills, aims and actions bear a great likeness to those of Hitler.
We hear talk of the banning of Halal meat from the Ukip camp and it was this very week in 1935 that Adolf Hitler declared the Third Reich and banned Kosher meat, a similarity you must of course concede. As with the bullying abuse of members in Ukip if they dare to disagree with the Nigel Farage cult, in a similar manner to the actions of Hitler in his day as he progressed by exploiting racism, which was denied by his lakeys, and villified those who exposed his corruption.
I do not for a mement liken Farage to Hitler for Hitler was far more astute and had a greater range of experience having fought and been dercorated in his Country’s military and having lived in harsher times had faced prison and had also written at least one book himself. A book not of self adulation but a textbook for his followers. Fqarage of course, despite 22 years of claiming to be anti EU has no textbook, nor even a viable, ethical EU eXit and survival strategy.
Clearly there are similarities in the actions of Nigel Farageparticularly when you consider the popular song of the trenches alluding to Hitler’s testicular deficiency but who would you liken to the chicken farmer Goebels who was declared yet further challenged!
There is absolutely nothing grown up about the odious behaviour of the likes of David Coburn nor the underhand and deceitfull behaviour of such as Gerard Batten which is clearly endorsed by Nigel Farage.
As for the anti Islamic phobias of Ukip members they are well publicised as you yourself are aware having been publicly denounced for your having shown you liked the EDL, as published in The Mail. This blog made little of the mail article which denounced your racist sympathies beyond your Ukip membership and personal ambitions for prefferment you will have noticed.
However when you lie down you are like to rise with fleas – hence it is more than fair and rational to denounce the odious behaviour of David Coburn and his childish schoolboy name calling as anti Islamic and phobic – merely consider the company he keeps.
May I also add the indisputable fact that if Jeremy Clarkson did indeed strike a staff member of the BBC over whom he had sway there is no doubt he should be sacked if it was done with intent to harm or consequentially demean the individual for no man should be above the law – as I believe Nigel Farage, Gerard Batten and their ilk will in their turn discover.
In divergence with your stated fantasies this blog eschews mere insults and inclines to provide facts and substantive opinions which can be backed with the relevant facts.
On that subject just which aspect of anti Islamic behaviour amongst Ukip’s leadership was it that you had failed to note as criminal as it inclines to incite racial hatred with consequential outcomes?
Was it merely the number of Ukip members who support such organisations as the EDL and those who have joined Ukip from the BNP and its predecessor the National Front all of which Ukip pretends are proscribed organisations yet which they fail to prevent ex members joining from even those who are in the Met it seems!
May I suggest that you learn a little more about the corruption of Ukip prior to your next effort to make something of a fool of yourself over.
However I do appreciate your regular efforts to permit me a platform to further expose corruption and racism within Ukip and particularly amongst its leadership and the assorted self serving low grade candidates.
You will no doubt be aware that close allies of Ukip leadership are The Tax Payers Alliance who have been exposed as a potential part of David Cameron’s team to ensure that Britain remains within the EU, along with Business for Britain and Mathew Elliott who are to front an inept No campaign in the refwerendum – aided by Nigel Farage and Ukip who have absolutely no viable ethical EU eXit and survival strategy and are currently seeking an early Referendum to ensure the eXit supporters fail and we remain in the EU.
Perhaps you are new to the Machiavellian antics of the corrupt in politics but it seems you have swallowed tyheir distortions hook line and sinker.
Regards,
Greg_L-W.
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geoffbastin said
Blimey Greg I think I must have hit a raw nerve for I didn’t want nor expect you to go to so much trouble on my behalf.
Your response is indeed impressive and your mention of the Sunday paper that used me as one example of those who follow the EDL. Of course it was all a load of nonsense because as you know when people chose to “like” you on Facebook they also bring all their baggage with them. However that is of no real concern for I spend a considerable time each day reading articles and blogs written by many with whom I disagree. It is far more enlightening than reading the articles I can associate with, as I’m always determined to know what the other lot are thinking and saying.
I must just say that your response to me this time is far more erudite than many other things of yours that I have read recently and allows me to understand more clearly why you and several others seem so anti UKIP when in more normal times you could be so much more useful in promoting our mutual cause.
We became estranged from the EU when we failed to join the Euro in 1992.
Since then we have only clung on to this experiment because of certain traitors that seem hell bent on maintaining our membership. It does not take much effort to terminate our membership because for starters we have to repeal the European Communities Act. The promise of a referendum is so vague and would not necessarily produce the result we require just as the last one did not in 1975.
When the UK decides to leave, and it will, other countries will follow because a large majority of the French, German and Dutch populations do not like membership either. That is when the whole European obsession will be reformed around a new trading block. We will always trade with our neighbours and them with us but not whilst being subjugated by a foreign power.
If that fails to happen the “Post Democratic Era” will arrive and the parliaments of all member states will be reduced to Town Hall status and you and I will say I told you so.
We don’t need fancy Exits, Brexits or Grexits at this stage for all we need is the ability to communicate to the general public why it is imperative to terminate out membership.
I realise many academic types like to talk in detailed ways but the general public need a much simpler message. You and I may engage in detailed considerations but we are in the minority. I’ve listened to Richard North at the Bruges Group and read much of his Brexit document and it is impressive but it is not the only thing that will sway the argument when the vote comes.
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Greg Lance-Watkins said
Hi,
Perhaps rather than ‘fisk’ your latest comments it would prove easier and more informative for you, in understanding why I believe you to be so fundamentally wrong and why I consider the lame brained lightweight posturings of the Ukip Cult under the inept leadership of Nigel Farage to be more of a hinderance thabn a help to Leave_The_EU if you were to read:
https://ukip-vs-eukip.com/2015/03/16/ukips-lone-nutter-is-clearly-nigel-farage-this-time
Where I have dealt with much of your contention in more than a little detail.
Regards,
Greg_L-W.
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