A coordinated network of 36 Facebook groups opposing London’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ), run by Conservative councillors and staff members, are providing a platform for widespread racist, Islamophobic and antisemitic posts, as well as conspiracy theorist content and posts inciting criminal damage, a new investigation from Greenpeace’s investigative journalism unit, Unearthed, has found.
Reporters from Unearthed infiltrated and analysed six of the largest 36 anti-ULEZ groups identified and found dozens of examples of racist or Islamophobic posts and comments in those groups, most of which were posted between January and April of this year.
Islamophobic and racist posts and comments include describing the capital as ‘Londonistan’, being ‘overrun and being run by a load of foreigners’, and posts calling for action to protect ‘a future for white children’ – a white supremacist slogan.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is the target of racist or abusive posts in many of the groups analysed, with comments describing him an ‘Islamist’, a ‘terrorist sympathiser’, and calling him a ‘Khaki Punt’. One commentator posted, ‘I just want to rip his head off and shit down his neck’, in reference to Khan. An image with the Mayor of London’s picture photoshopped onto a urinal was posted in two of the groups, while another commenter posted that they would pay to get him ‘popped’.
The Conservative mayoral candidate, Susan Hall, is a member of at least six of the groups and she has either posted or interacted with posts in the Hillingdon and Bromley groups, though not with any of the offensive content.
Other Conservative MPs, including justice select committee chair Sir Bob Neill, policing minister Chris Philp, and Steve Tuckwell – the MP who took over Boris Johnson’s Uxbridge constituency in last summer’s by-election – as well as numerous other local Tory MPs and councillors, are also members of a number of the groups containing offensive remarks. They have not posted or engaged with unacceptable content.
Sir Bob Neill and Chris Philp, who each belonged to the groups local to their constituencies, both said they were leaving the groups when Unearthed highlighted the materials that they were being used for. Neither Susan Hall nor Steve Tuckwell responded when approached for comment.
Rachel Cromie, a Conservative councillor from Haywards Heath, is an admin on all of the Facebook groups. Other admins include Conservative councillors, campaign managers and a borough mayor.
There are posts suggesting that some groups are actively moderated by the admins and that they were ‘declining and accepting posts’, ‘will continue to decline posts that encourage or promote criminal activity’ and anyone who ‘uses discriminative language will be removed from the group without warning’. Despite this, it’s clear from the posts exposed by this investigation that extremely troubling material of this nature is still being published and not removed.
Greenpeace UK’s political campaigner, Ami McCarthy, said:
“‘Say no to ULEZ expansion, but say yes to racist abuse’. These groups are an absolute cesspit of vile racism and hate speech, as well as a breeding ground for dangerous conspiracy theories.
“That they’re being managed by Conservative operatives speaks volumes about the direction in which the party has gone, and just how toxic these anti-ULEZ campaigns have become.
“Susan Hall’s track record of engaging with racist content online has been well documented, but her membership in these groups sinks her to a new low. The party should launch a full investigation into this whole shameful scandal and everyone involved.”
There are several posts relating to climate denial. In one comment, a user argues that ULEZ is ‘in the name of faulty science claiming global warming’ and in another post and a video calling to ‘stop the carbon lies’, which argues that ‘if we lower the carbon that’s in the air… and plants struggle to survive’.
Other widespread posts and comments celebrating vandalism and the efforts of people – known as ‘bladerunners’ – who have been destroying ULEZ cameras, as well as slashing the tyres of ULEZ enforcement vehicles.
Responding to the investigation’s findings, a Conservative Party spokesperson said the party “unequivocally condemns all discriminatory language, and never encourages nor condones vandalism or criminal activity.”
He added: “The Conservative Party is reviewing its processes and policies regarding Facebook groups.”
Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds said the investigation had uncovered “appalling racism”, adding that Hall’s presence in the groups, she thought, suggested she has “tacitly endorsed antisemitism, Islamophobia, violent threats and incitement to criminal damage”.
