Howard ignores warnings from churches over immigration rhetoric
-19/4/05
Apparently ignoring repeated warnings from churches and church agencies, Conservative leader Michael Howard said last night that there may be race riots in Britain if people believe that immigration is out of control.
But the Conservative leader, who was speaking during an ITV1 television programme, was accused of pandering to xenophobia and hatred by the angry audience.
His comments follow calls from churches and Christians for politicians to stop making political capital out of the plight of asylum seekers.
The Methodist Church most recently called for a sensible debate on immigration, “rather than allowing the topic to become an exercise in election point scoring.”
The Church warned that playing up false concerns about immigration would lead to an increase in attacks on ethnic minorities – a point made recently by the Immigrant Advisory Service.
Conservative candidates are now likely to face tough questions from many Christians up and down the country as churches hold hundreds of election hustings about whether they agree with the Tory leader’s comments.
But when during last nights TV discussion Gilbert Barthley, an Afro-Caribbean, accused the Tories of playing on people’s fears, Howard replied: “I’ve met many people from ethnic minority backgrounds who agree with me that we should have controlled immigration.”
A young Asian man accused Howard of “shambolic opportunism”.
Dean Velani, 18, said: “You are inciting xenophobia and hatred in our country.”
But Howard denied the charge. “You are entitled to your view but I disagree. And what I say to people who hold the view you hold is, ‘If you disagree with these proposals, tell us what you would do’.
“It doesnít take the debate much further to pin labels on me or abuse or insult me in the way you have just done.”
Chrisian thinktank Ekklesia will next week hold a forum in Westminster looking at the issues of immigration and asylum policy.