B.C. Muslim Association calls for Conservative candidate’s removal over racist remarks

There are growing calls for the B.C. Conservative Party to remove a candidate over racist remarks he made about Muslims and Palestinians on social media years ago.

The B.C. Muslim Association issued an open letter urging the party to cut ties with Chapman, who is running in the Surrey South riding, over comments the group called "alarming" and "unacceptable."

The candidate's past conduct "undermines the very fabric of our community and promotes division and intolerance," the group wrote.

"We urge the B.C. Conservative Party to act swiftly and decisively. The party must hold its representatives accountable and take meaningful action to address this situation," the letter added.

Screenshots of Chapman's comments were shared online this week by CKNW radio host Jas Johal, and showed the candidate referring to Palestinians as "inbred walking, talking, breathing time bombs" while responding to a November 2015 Facebook post.

Chapman also shared an article on "Muslim inbreeding," taken from a questionable website that no longer exists, along with concerns, which he attributed to an unnamed friend, that "coexistence with Islam" was "absolutely not" possible.

The candidate has issued a lengthy apology, acknowledging he made the remarks and stressing that they "do not reflect who I am today or the respect and admiration I hold for the Palestinian and Muslim communities." 

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad addressed the backlash over Chapman's comments on Thursday, telling the crowd at a campaign event that he found them "offensive."

"I know many other people do," Rustad added. "People sometimes make mistakes. However, I think what is important is actions."

That response doesn't go far enough for some, including Kareem Allam, a political scientist who identifies as Muslim and has worked on a number of previous Conservative campaigns.

"The fact that the leader of their party is standing behind their candidates and accepting their apologies – it's disgusting, it's disappointing," Allam said. "This is not the B.C. I grew up in."

B.C. NDP Leader David Eby echoed those sentiments, arguing that any candidate who engages in what he described as "hate speech" should be fired.

With voting day fast approaching, the rhetoric on the campaign trail has been heating up. Rustad took aim at Eby as well Thursday, suggesting he is a "pathological liar."

"We have seen a premier who has lied almost every single day of this campaign," he said. "You see billboards with lies on it, you see information that's going out to households with lies on it."

At a campaign event of his own, Eby laughed off the criticism.

"John Rustad thinks everybody lies. He thinks climate scientists lie. He thinks Bonnie Henry was lying about vaccines and using them to secretly control the British Columbia population," Eby said.

"These are the people who he thinks are liars. I find myself in great company."

With files from CTV News Vancouver's St. John Alexander

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