Sadiq Khan has spoken out amid the ongoing 'Islamophobia' row between him and former Conservative Party Deputy Chair Lee Anderson.
The London Mayor told GB News: "It's been more than two days now since the senior Conservative made comments that were clearly racist, anti Muslim and Islamophobic, and still no firm condemnation from the leader of the Conservative Party, the Prime Minister.
"But what we know, over the last four months there's been a massive increase in antisemitism. There's also been a massive increase in Islamophobia, anti Muslim hatred and racism. And that's why it's so important to be careful with language. There are tropes that are clearly antisemitic. We call them out. There are tropes that are clearly Islamophobic and anti Muslim. They should be called out as well.
"What this man said were racist, Islamophobic and anti Muslim. I'm bewildered why Rishi Sunak and the cabinet are refusing to call this out. He called them unacceptable and wrong. I'm unclear why Rishi Sunak says these comments are unacceptable. I'm unclear why he says they're wrong. I'm unclear why the Deputy Prime Minister thinks he should apologise. They should say what the problem is.
"The problem is you have a senior Conservative saying things that are clearly racist, anti Muslim and Islamophobic. That's leading to an environment where anti Muslim crime is spiralling and what they're doing is pouring petrol on the flames of Islamophobia."
GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope asked: "What do you make of Lee Anderson's comment that his remarks were clumsy?"
Khan responded: "Well look, we could all make clumsy remarks. When you repeat a trope that is Islamophobic, that is racist, anti Muslim and Islamophobic, we wouldn't put up with we'd rightly call out tropes that are anti-Semitic. I've called out over the last 5-6 years members of the Labour Party who've said things that are clearly anti-Semitic or repeated anti-Semitic tropes. Tropes. Racism is racism, whether the victim is Jewish or Muslim."
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