Written by Brian Merry (Related Press)
LONDON (AP) – Police in northern England said Friday that the biggest donor to Britain's Conservative government said a black lawmaker “makes me want to hate all black women.” He was reported to have said, “I should do that,'' and announced that they are investigating whether he committed a crime. Get shot. ”
Frank Hester, CEO of healthcare software company The Phoenix Partnership, is said to have made comments about Diane Abbott, the first Black woman to become a member of Congress in 2019.
West Yorkshire Police said officers were “working to establish the facts and ultimately establish whether a crime was committed”.
Mr. Hester apologized for his “rude” comments about Mr. Abbott, but said he was not a racist.
The Conservative Party has resisted pressure from opposition politicians to return the 10 million pounds ($12.6 million) Mr. Hester gave to the party.
The comments, reported by the Guardian on March 11, quickly became embroiled in controversy as Conservatives tried to criticize the comments but refused for nearly 24 hours to label them racist. . The party, which has been in power for 14 years, faces an election later this year, but opinion polls show it is far behind Labor.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak initially criticized Mr Hester's comments as “unacceptable”, but it wasn't until cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch, who is black, broke ranks and accused Mr Hester of racism that his spokesperson stopped commenting. I didn't find it racist.
“The alleged comments were wrong and racist,” Sunak later told MPs. But he said Hester “has rightly apologized to them and his remorse should be accepted.”
Hester's company has been paid more than 400 million pounds ($504 million) by the National Health Service and other government agencies since 2016, according to the Guardian.
Mr Hester is said to have made the remarks during an internal meeting in Leeds.
“It's like trying not to be a racist, but when you see Diane Abbott on TV, it's like… you want to hate all black women just because she's there,” Hester said. said. “I don't hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot.”
Police appealed to anyone with information to come forward.
“We are aware of the strong reaction to these allegations and would like to thank everyone who has contacted us since the publication of the article,” police said in a statement. “As we continue our investigation, we would like to hear from anyone who can directly assist us with our investigation.”
Mr Abbott, 70, who was elected to the House of Commons in 1987 to represent a north-east London constituency, said the comments were appalling, especially given that two British MPs have been murdered since 2016. Told. Last month, the government announced that it would strengthen security for politicians for the following reasons: Tensions are rising over the Israel-Hamas war.
Mr Abbott is running as an independent after being expelled from the Labor Party caucus last year for comments suggesting Jews and Irish people would not experience racism in their “lifetime”.
