Following on from habibi’s reminder of just why MEND should not be welcomed to Parliament, it’s also concerning to read about the invitation extended to Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh.
Mr Ghosh has previously called for the UN to control the birth rate of Muslims. He has also claimed to have created a “Hindu Defence Force” in India to protect Hindus from supposed Muslim violence.
Mr Ghosh was the keynote speaker at the meeting, held last week. He said: “Your girls and daughters are threatened by grooming but in our country our land is threatened and our existence is threatened.”
Ghosh has also made vile comments about the Rohingya Muslims.
But the Home Office has told HuffPost UK that Rudd was not present when Ghosh spoke at a later committee room event – where Ghosh was listed as ‘keynote speaker’ – and stressed that she did not agree with his views.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Home Secretary fundamentally disagrees with Mr Ghosh’s views on Islam.
“The Home Secretary accepted an invitation from the Hindu Forum of Britain to attend an event in Parliament last week to celebrate Diwali. She did not speak to Mr Ghosh and was not present when he spoke.”
However in the same piece it is reported that Bob Blackman, the Conservative backbencher who issued the original invitation to Ghosh, has refused to apologise.
