UK lord suspended as head of housing association after X post against Hamas

UK Housing Secretary Michael Gove slams a housing association for moving to oust a former member of parliament who mocked UNRWA’s claim it was unaware Hamas was operating under its headquarters in Gaza.

“Everyone, better safe than sorry: before you go to bed, nip down and check you haven’t inadvertently got a death cult of Islamist murderers and rapists running their operations downstairs. It’s easily done,” Lord Austin wrote in a post that he’s since deleted and apologized for.

Midland Heart announced Friday it was suspending him as chairman for 14 days “to discuss his removal from the board” over the social media comments. According to The Telegraph, the move followed a campaign accusing him of “Islamaphobia” by the group Muslim Engagement and Development, which the UK government’s counter-extremism program says has “a well-established track record of working alongside extremists.”

“I am deeply concerned by Midland Heart’s actions in seeking to remove Lord Austin from their board. I will be writing to the board to demand an urgent meeting and explanation,” Gove says. “Not only is Ian a champion for affordable housing, he has spent his career fighting racism. Islam is a religion of peace, but Islamists — including the proscribed terrorist organization Hamas — are extremists characterized by violence and oppression who seek to undermine our democratic values. They must be challenged wherever we encounter them.”