WARNING: The language in this post is offensive. Discretion is advised.
A BC Conservative candidate is facing criticism after an offensive online comment he made about Palestinians resurfaced.
Brent Chapman, the Conservative candidate for Surrey-South, made a Facebook comment in 2015 describing Palestinians as “little inbred walking talking breathing time bombs.”
Late Wednesday night, Chapman issued an apology for his comments.
“The language I used and the sentiments I expressed at that time towards Palestinians and members of the Islamic faith were completely unacceptable,” he said in a statement.
“They do not reflect who I am today or the respect and admiration I hold for the Palestinian and Muslim communities.”
He added that he wants to “offer (his) sincerest apologies to everyone hurt by my past words.”
Before the apology, Conservative Leader John Rustad said he would ask Chapman to apologize and added that the comments do not reflect the party’s values.
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Rustad also said he would not ask Chapman to step aside.
“As I said, he should apologize for those comments,” Rustad said.
“I’ve got people on my campaign team who are Palestinian and I know that would offend them so I am expecting an apology…. After all, my chief of staff is Muslim.”
The National Council of Canadian Muslims reached out to Chapman about his posts.
“We recognize that Mr. Chapman has apologized, both privately to us and publicly,” the organization said in a statement.
“In a series of conversations with Mr. Chapman, we heard an apology detailing the steps he has taken to widen his understanding of Muslim and Palestinian people and recognizing the deep harm he caused by his posts.
“British Columbian Muslims are a people that believe in the power of forgiveness to bring people together and heal wounds. As in all cases, true commitment to an apology is always seen through choices that people make on an ongoing basis.
“We will judge the commitment to the apology on the basis of the actions that Mr. Chapman takes on an ongoing basis, and the commitment of John Rustad’s BC Conservatives to challenge Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism. We will also be consulting with local Masajid and community organizations about what the next steps look like on this issue.”
When asked about Chapman’s comments, NDP leader David Eby said British Columbians are “seeing a pattern of behaviour.”
Eby added that it is “disappointingly not surprising, enabling, and you can see it in the comments on social media, enabling haters to come forward, emboldening them.
“The best that John Rustad can do is say that he thinks that some of his staff might be insulted and that an apology should be able to solve this. Absolutely not.”
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