Labour's Sadiq Khan accused of ‘giving oxygen to extremists’ as London Mayor row erupts
LABOUR'S London Mayor hopeful Sadiq Khan has been accused of “hiding behind Muslims” and “giving oxygen to extremists” in a furious attack by his Tory rival just weeks before election day.
London Mayor hopefuls Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan go head-to-head
Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith issued an explosive challenge to his Labour rival accusing him of running a racist campaign.
Mr Khan, a former human rights lawyer, has been blasted by senior Tories because of his history of allegedly defending extremists.
The Labour candidate has vehemently denied the accusations, insisting he has spent his "whole life fighting extremism".
In an interview with the Evening Standard Mr Goldsmith revealed he decided to speak following a controversial tweet from Mr Khan.
The Labour MP for Tooting tweeted: “Hey @ZacGoldsmith. There’s no need to keep pointing at me & shouting ‘he’s a Muslim’. I put it on my own leaflets.”
I have never suggested Sadiq Khan is an extremist but without a shadow of doubt he has given platform, oxygen and cover to people who are extremists
Mr Goldsmith hit back, saying: “He is calling Islamophobia to prevent legitimate questions being asked.
“I think he is playing with fire. The questions are genuine, they are serious. They are about his willingness to share platforms with people who want to ‘drown every Israeli Jew in the sea’.
Hey @ZacGoldsmith. There’s no need to keep pointing at me & shouting ‘he’s a Muslim’. I put it on my own leaflets. pic.twitter.com/EGeRXlPWAa
— Sadiq Khan MP (@SadiqKhan) April 11, 2016
Zac Goldsmith hit out following a tweet from Sadiq Khan
“It’s about his having employed someone who believed the Lee Rigby murder was fabricated. It’s about his career before being an MP, coaching people in how to sue the police.
“It just goes on and on and on. To pretend those are not legitimate questions, to pretend that by asking those questions newspapers, Londoners or my campaign are engaging in Islamophobia is unbelievably irresponsible.
“The reality is the vast majority of Muslims don’t share platforms with terrorism, they don’t give oxygen to terrorists and they don’t apologise for or excuse extreme language either.”
Mr Goldsmith is trailing behind Mr Khan in the most recent polls
Mr Khan has been accused of once defending Babar Ahmad, who in 2013 pleaded guilty to conspiracy and providing material support to terrorism, and reportedly spoke up for Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who allegedly supported Hamas suicide bombings.
The row comes as recent polls show Mr Goldsmith is lagging behind Mr Khan in the race to City Hall.
London Mayor Boris Johnson is backing his Tory colleague
Mr Goldsmith, MP for Richmond, added: “It is just obscene that somebody who wants to be the Mayor of the world’s greatest city, to be in charge of our police and security, should behave not only with such bad judgment but in a way that is totally shameless.”
“To be clear, I have never suggested he is an extremist but without a shadow of doubt he has given platform, oxygen and cover to people who are extremists.
“He has said some great things in the last few months. He wants to be the Muslim to take the fight to extremists. Who can argue with that? But he cannot escape his record.”
A spokesman for Mr Khan responded: “This is horribly desperate stuff from a Tory campaign that is clearly losing.
“Sadiq has spent his whole life fighting extremism and has faced death threats as a result. Yvette Cooper spoke for many when she said that what started as a subtle dog-whistle has become a full-blown racist scream.
“She described it as the campaign equivalent of pointing at Sadiq and shouting, ‘Don’t vote for him, he’s a Muslim’ — a nasty approach straight from the Lynton Crosby playbook. Sadiq will continue to focus on the crucial job of keeping Londoners safe.”