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11
Apr
‘Horrified’: Politicians react to Harrogate Tory candidate’s historic homophobic posts
Local politicians have reacted to revelations that a Conservative Party candidate at the Harrogate Town Council election made historic homophobic social media posts.
Yesterday, the Stray Ferret reported that Anthony Murphy, who is standing in Duchy ward on May 1, had posted homophobic views on his personal Facebook page and in articles online, including one that said it was a “perennial truth that homosexual sex are acts of grave depravity”.
His comments appear to be based on his Catholic views of same-sex marriage.
Mr Murphy has not commented on the posts but Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Party said in a statement his past views appeared “at a time of heightened debate” over same-sex marriage.
Now, Harrogate politicians have reacted to Mr Murphy’s comments.
Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, called on the Conservatives to suspend Mr Murphy and withdraw its support for the candidate.
He said:
I am horrified by the comments made by Mr Murphy. They are dreadful and should have no place in our political discourse. It is clear to me that he should not be a candidate for the town council. If he was elected, how would he be able to gain the trust of his LGTBQ constituents?
I am calling on the local Conservative party to suspend him, withdraw their support and effectively drop him as a candidate.
However, it seems that Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Party have gone rogue. It is shocking that they selected a candidate who they knew had made these remarks.
Their response to these allegations was gobsmacking. I couldn’t believe they tried to defend Mr Murphy and his posts. It was insulting to local people and the wider LGTBQ community. It shows how badly the Conservative Party has lost the plot.
They need to think again, apologise for their statement defending Mr Murphy and sack him as a candidate.
'Retract or withdraw'
Harrogate Green Party, which is not standing in Duchy ward, called on Mr Murphy to retract his historic comments or withdraw from the election.
Cllr Arnold Warneken, Green Party councillor for Ouseburn on North Yorkshire Council, said:
Fifty-five years ago my namesake who was a Jesuit Priest, and my uncle Duncan, a Franciscan Monk, had a far more open view on such issues, and personally as a former pupil of St John Fisher and an altar boy at St Robert's I can honestly say the tweets referred to do not represent the Catholic church I was raised in.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Harrogate and Knaresborough Reform UK, said:
Whilst we do not comment on specific cases, it is a matter for each political party to decide how to verify and approve all their candidates before putting them forward for public office.
Conservative response
The Stray Ferret asked the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Party to respond to the posts made by its candidate.
We also asked the party if it was aware of Mr Murphy’s posts, whether the posts were consistent with Conservative party values and if it intended to take any action against Mr Murphy.
Rebecca Reeve-Burnett, chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Association, responded on behalf of Mr Murphy. She said:
When the same-sex marriage legislation was in front of government all the major political parties were split with some supporting and some against. Discussions extended much further than Parliament into local communities and particularly religious groups.
Emotions can run high on these issues and they certainly did during that period of legislation change. Many people said and wrote things which they would not say or write now. I support any person’s right to change a view or a position on something as they progress through their life, and will not hold a former view against someone if I am certain it is no longer their view.
I know that many of those who do not support same-sex marriage hold their views on religious grounds. Anthony is a religious man and his Catholic faith is the foundation of his beliefs on marriage. Whilst I don't share some religious views on marriage — indeed I married my wife with a vicar's blessing shortly after being allowed! – I do respect the right to religious freedom.
We do not tolerate homophobia or any other kind of discrimination in our association and we have not found any during the selection process for our town council candidates. As an association we were aware of what you have shared before Anthony entered our selection process, and we discussed it during that process too.
These are views from the past, from a time of heightened debate. The past is where they belong.
Anthony is a committed local campaigner who is working very hard to demonstrate that to local residents in Duchy ward ahead of the elections and will be an excellent councillor for the whole community if elected on 1 May.
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