Newcastle MP Goes To Government Over Pegida

Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah has written to the Home Secretary about the planned march by anti-Islam group Pegida.

Published 17th Feb 2015

Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah has written to the Home Secretary about the planned march by anti-Islam group Pegida.

The group want to protest in the city on February 28th.

Chi wants Teresa May to assess the impact it would have on Islamaphobia.

In the letter, Chi said:

“Could I ask you to set out in principle whether inciting Islamaphobia is considered ‘conducive to the public good’, what factors you would take into account before making such a decision and whether Pegida is recognised as an organisation inciting Islamaphobia?”

Chi also questioned whether the group’s well-documented Islamaphobia would represent incitement to racial hatred in the UK:

“I am therefore writing to ask you whether the Home Office has made an assessment of Pegida and the impact of its presence in the UK. For example has the Home Office a view on the extent to which its extreme Islamaphobic stance represents incitement to racial hatred?”