No apology for racial slur: Cllr Warren Swaine

Some senior Black Liberal Democrats are questioning whether or not they should be in a party that refuses to insist that one of its councilors should apologise for making a racial slur. Earlier this year Councillor Warren Swaine tweeted that Labour MP Chuka Umunna would claim "is it because I is black" as "defense” for being a muppet."

Swaine was suspended for five months but party activists question both local and national party as to why no apology has been forth coming from the disgraced Cllr. A number of senior Black members including Cllr Duanye Brooks, have suggested they might leave the party if it cannot deal with a simple case of a member making a racial slur and then being asked to apologise.

Speaking to OBV exclusively Cllr Lester Holloway said, ‘This is not just about Swaine, many of us in the party are completely frustrated with the lack of progress the party is making on the diversity front. These incidents remind us just how far we have to go both on a local and national level’.

It is incredible how local parties refuse to effectively deal with these simple matters. Even if Swaine didn’t mean to racially offend-which is hard to believe-when it is brought to his attention he should make a humble apology and undertake some race equality training so that, at the very least he doesn’t offend his Black constituents. It is also obvious that the local and national party should demand this of him too.

Simon Woolley

Picture: Cllr Warren Swaine