Reform mayoral candidate suspended after ‘Islamists on horseback’ remark
Reform UK has suspended its Hampshire mayoral candidate after he appeared to liken a Jewish neighbourhood watch group to “Islamists on horseback” following an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances.
Chris Parry, a retired Naval officer from Portsmouth, has been suspended pending investigation following the remarks about Shomrim, a voluntary patrol service, in a series of social media posts on Monday.
He also reportedly described the members of the group as “cosplayers”, according to the Guardian, in a post which has since been deleted.
A Reform UK spokesman said: “Chris Parry has been suspended by Reform UK, pending investigation.” It is also believed that his candidacy has also been suspended.
Counter-terror officers continue to investigate the arson attack that destroyed four ambulances run by Hatzola, a Jewish charity ambulance service that works alongside Shomrim, on Monday.
Police have previously said the incident is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.
Watch a video of Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage when he visited Portsmouth earlier this month embedded in this story
The remarks on Monday are not the first by Mr Parry to have drawn controversy.
In a post in January regarding speculation that the UK Government could be considering talks about reparations for slavery, he wrote: “Lammy must go home to the Caribbean where his loyalty lies.”
He later apologised “for any distress or offence” caused by that comment, which was condemned as racist by Labour and described by party leader Nigel Farage as “over the top” at the time.
The Liberal Democrats said Mr Parry’s latest remarks were “deeply insensitive, insulting and not befitting of someone who wants to hold public office.”
Following his suspension, the party’s home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson said Reform had questions to answer over his initial vetting.
“This is a good start, but Farage has some way to go,” he said.
“There are serious questions to answer as to how this candidate got approved in the first place.
“Farage must now ensure he takes firmer action every time a Reform politician or candidate makes racially offensive comments – which is more frequently than most right-minded people would want.”