Harrow Councillor suspended for objecting to naked men parading in front of young girls responds
Read story hereHarrow Labour councillor Chika Amadi has been suspended after she posted a tweet labeling gay pride marchers as ‘paedophiles’ after seeing an article from the 2011 Toronto Pride march with a picture of a young girl covering her eyes as a naked man walked past.
She has responded as follows:
Re: Social Medial Postings and My Suspension
I am neither homophobic nor a bigot.
I wish to say that as a person I treat every human being with respect and have no misgivings against anyone. I have represented all Harrow constituents fairly, impartially and respectfully since 2014. It is unfortunate that my tweets were misinterpreted, taken out of context and misconstrued while I was vilified, bullied, intimidated, demonised and abused by innumerable people for expressing my thoughts. For all intents and purposes my tweet was highlighting the fact that adults walking naked (for whatever purpose) in the full glare of children especially where that child is distressed is abhorrent (and not necessarily the parade itself) just as if teachers or councillors or workers should display nudity before children without prior warning and safeguarding them, it will end in jail term. I never mentioned or attacked the LGBT community not even once as it has been made out for which I have been vilified, demonised and called Homophobic. I am not homophobic. I am a tolerant person and I love people as well as helping people. If walking naked before children is now okay and acceptable in the UK, I am afraid The UK has then lost its high moral ground to condemn Saudi Arabia for the abhorrent way they treat females as this incidence clearly shows that the UK society treat female children even worst than Saudi Arabia who I guess will not expose young girls in the public. This to me shows that having the watershed over the media is laughable if it is alright for children to be able to see this type of actions practically. My tweets were far from homophobic rather I feel strongly that matured adults parading naked in front of a child without any safeguards in any capacity is offensive and distasteful in this century and in a modern society. Worse still, parents deliberately exposing their children to traumatic sights must be frowned at. Children should be allowed to enjoy their childhood until they are able to make informed choices.
As a black Woman, when I saw that little traumatised girl trying so hard to cover her face and as a black British woman I was traumatised as well. I could put myself in her shoes growing up in Nigeria to see a black male in a parade naked.
On refection though, I think perhaps I would be more careful in my choice of words when re-acting to similar issue in the future and I do apologise for any unintended offence caused. But, nonetheless, this does not negative the substance of my complaint in relation to the distress that the action and public display of nudity caused to some young innocent children during the parade. I thought and still strongly feel that the behavior of a small element of the LGBT participating in the parade was deplorable and the protection of children and putting in place safeguards must always be paramount and I think I was right to point it out.
However, I am rather shocked and extremely disappointed that as soon as someone makes a flimsy allegation against a particular section of the Labour Party, it becomes convenient for the Labour hierarchy to quickly consider suspension or even dismissing that person from the Party. How I wish same principle is consistently applied to all cross sections of the Party and or membership. But that has not always been the case. This is rather hypocritical and extremely worrying! This negates the parties rule around social media suspension that I am right to criticise my suspension in a way because the Labour Party has a rule regarding suspension over social media posts . See here McNicol’s new DPA guide shows Lab HQ can’t legally use social media to suspend
It seems some animals are more equal than others. Does the Labour Party react same way for all members with protected characteristics as the LGBT, certainly not! This is clearly unfair. I thought one is always innocent until proven guilty. I thought the Labour Party stands for equality, fairness and social justice. Or is it just in phrases and slogans? Clearly, the way the Party has responded and overreacted to this allegation by my immediate suspension before any formal investigation is completely unfair. Did it ever occur to the Labour Party management that it might be politically motivated with some vested interest? If the Labour Party had always reacted same way whenever a member of the Black and Minority Ethnic was at the receiving end, I could have been more sympathetic to why the Party had to react that way. Those who initiated my suspension clearly knew what they were doing. How I wish the Labour Party General Secretary is so swift to act when other members of the Labour Party with different protected characteristics are vilified and abused by others. This is another example of hypocrisy and over-reaction from the Party. Is this what Labour Party calls fairness?
Whilst I do accept that perhaps I should have been careful with my choice of words in describing my disgust of the way some adults were behaving and parading themselves in front of children in broad day light, and to the extent that some of the kids witnessing those half naked men were so distressed to the point that they had to cover their faces. I thought children are supposed to be allowed to remain children with their full sense of innocence. But clearly not! Isn’t part of the responsibilities of any elected representative and their Party is to protect children from physical, mental/psychological abuse? Where do the rights of the LGBTs stops and rights of innocent young children start? Clearly, from the way I have been treated, it seems to me that the protection of the LGBT community is more important than the rights of the rest of us who may think the actions and behaviors of certain members of the group, in certain cases are questionable and deplorable.
I am a prisoner of conscience and a victim of neo-liberal social witch-hunting. This is neither fairness nor social justice! I thought one of the principles of law is that ‘one is innocent until proven guilty’. Clearly, this hasn’t been the case here. Suspend first, the hearing later.
I have represented all members of my constituency to the best of my abilities without favours since elected; irrespective of their individual gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, belief, etc. There has never been any complaint about my behavior nor relationship with anyone, including the LGBT community since elected or indeed even before. If my action was classified as extreme and deplorable, how would anyone define the response from the Labour Party? Is that fair? Clearly not to me! Clearly, I have lost everything within the Party: my re-selection, possible election, and my future political career within the Labour Party because of overreaction of the General Secretary and determination to prioritise protection of the LGBT group against other communities with differing characteristics, irrespective how unfair the action might be. It is very obvious to me that that the rights of BAME communities and those of us with religious beliefs must always come secondary. I am a prisoner of conscience, just like several thousands of the Labour members and ordinary citizens, black and white, who feel voiceless and dispossessed by ultra liberal attitude of the Labour Party which is not evenly applied to all communities.
Aren’t Labour supposed to be representing everyone? Clearly, this has not been the case here. All animals are equal, but alas, some seem to be more equal than others in this case.
Once again, if my action and or my comments have inadvertently upset anyone, I do apologise for any offence or distress caused. I am not perfect. I am continuing to learn from my shortcomings and shall endeavour to response positively to any available future diversity and equality training opportunities, including particularly those courses relating to ‘human empathy’. May I also recommend that the Labour Party should make training on ‘emotional intelligence’ for all members of the Party, especially those in the position of power and authority from the grassroots level to the top of the Party because clearly, this is very lacking from my observation of how certain matters are being dealt with.
In view of the unfair and imbalanced the matter has been handled and how I have been treated by the Labour Party, which has deprived me of the opportunity to be considered for re-selection by the Party membership I have represented without any blemish to my reputation since elected; with a heavy heart, have already informed the Labour Party and Harrow Labour Group that I intend to serve the rest of my term as an elected ‘Independent Councillor’ to continue to represent the interest of Edgware residents who voted me in to represent them.
We all must do more to protect the girl child from every form of obscenities, abuse, trafficking or forced Marriage. I was voted in as a councillor by Edgware residents and the fact that I am a Pastor was not hidden. Living in a democratic nation, I feel it is in my right to hold my personal and religious views and values which in no way affects the way I represent those who reposed trust in me and voted for me to represent them. It is in my right to exercise my right of thought and expression.
I believe that it is undemocratic to coerce everyone to accept only a view favourable to one set of people. I believe in the saying: Live and let live. The UK is a country of Rule of Law but some sections of the society seems to be losing their freedom of speech and freedom to practice their faith without fear of reprisals. This is wrong and something needs to be done. However, I forgive every member of the LGBT community and the wider population for abusing me or calling me unprintable names
Regards,
Cllr Chika Amadi
Harrow Council
8 August 2017
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