A PC MPP says she was “not aware” of the history of a far-right British figure before taking a digital meeting with him to discuss the governing regime in Iran.
Carleton MPP Goldie Ghamari faced criticism from opposition politicians and a prominent Muslim group on Wednesday after sharing a screenshot of a conversation she had with Tommy Robinson, founder of the English Defence League.
Robinson was arrested in Calgary on Monday over an “outstanding immigration warrant,” according to a video he posted on his social media account. He has been convicted in the United Kingdom of offences including contempt of court and assault.
Robinson’s group has regularly been described by researchers and advocates as Islamophobic and far-right.
“I condemn all forms of Islamophobia and Antisemitism,” Ghamari said in a statement to Global News on Wednesday afternoon. “Hate has no place in Ontario.”
In a separate social media post on Tuesday, Ghamari questioned why Robinson had been arrested, while someone she alleged was a supporter of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was not.
“Can someone explain this double standard? I’m confused,” she wrote.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims said it was “shocked and furious” that Ghamari had met with Robinson. In a statement on Wednesday, the group called for her to be removed from the Progressive Conservative Party caucus over the online meeting.
The premier’s office said in a statement that Doug Ford was “extremely disappointed” in Ghamari deciding to meet with “and give a platform to an individual whose behaviour and beliefs are at odds with our government.”
“It is deeply regrettable that this engagement took place,” the statement said. “As soon as this matter was brought to our attention, the post was immediately taken down.”
Ghamari said she “was not aware of his history prior to the meeting” and decided to speak with Robinson as an Iranian-Canadian immigrant concerned about the country’s regime.
“He wanted to discuss the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) which was recently listed as a terrorist entity in Canada,” Ghamari said.
“We discussed the IRGC, its impact in Canada, and the 6-year effort of the Iranian-Canadian diaspora to put the IRGC on the Canadian terror list.”
The Ontario NDP said in a social media post of its own on Wednesday that Robinson was a “far-right, anti-Islam activist” and questioned why Ghamari had chosen to speak to him.
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