London, UK

The UK’s Conservative Party has taken action against one of its members of parliament, Lee Anderson, following controversial comments he made regarding London's Mayor, Sadiq Khan, accusing him of being under the control of "Islamists."

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Anderson on Friday (Feb 23) reportedly told a media outlet, “I don’t actually believe that these Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they’ve got control of Khan and they’ve got control of London. Again, this stems with Khan, he’s actually given our capital city away to his mates."

His comments drew swift condemnation from various quarters, including Labour Party figures and prominent members of his own party, labeling them as "unambiguously racist and Islamophobic."

Khan is the first Muslim mayor of London. He is also a member of the opposition Labour Party.

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He has often faced criticism from Conservative quarters, particularly regarding his management of policing and his alleged involvement in pro-Palestinian events in the capital.

The situation escalated on Wednesday (Feb 21) as pro-Palestinian demonstrators congregated outside parliament during a tumultuous vote on Gaza ceasefire. This prompted a departure from standard parliamentary procedures due to concerns over safety of the lawmakers.

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Following mounting criticism, the Conservative Party announced Anderson's suspension from the parliamentary party and was stripped off Tory whip.

A spokesperson stated, "Following his refusal to apologize for comments made yesterday, the Chief Whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP."

Anderson, a former vice-chairman of the Conservative Party, will now serve as an independent lawmaker in parliament, media reports said. 

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The incident reignited discussions about Islamophobia within the Conservative Party, with recent surveys indicating growing public concern over the issue.

Meanwhile, concerns over rising Islamophobic incidents across the UK have been underscored by a monitoring group's report revealing a significant increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes following the Israel-Gaza war.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza conflict, Tell MAMA, an organisation dedicated to monitoring anti-Muslim hate incidents, has reported a staggering increase in cases. In a four-month period, they recorded 2,010 incidents. This figure represented a significant surge compared to the 600 incidents reported during the same period in the previous year, marking a concerning rise of 335 percent.

(With inputs from agencies)