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An advocacy group with Islamophobia strikes is urging the Conservatives of Canada (CPC) to remove a London, Ontario regional candidate from the federal election vote for his past comments about marginalized groups, including the Muslim community, women and 2SLGBTQ+ groups.
The London-based Hikma Public Affairs Commission called on Andrew Lawton to “explain reject” as Elgin-ST’s candidate. Thomas-South London is based on his “pattern of well-documented offensive and discriminatory remarks,” it said in a statement Tuesday.
“Including Islamophobia, anti-Semitic, homosexual, misogynistic and anti-Indigenous comments, Mr Lawton has always proven behavior that is simply incompatible with the values of democratic and inclusive societies, especially in London.”
Hikma said this is very focused on Lawton’s split record.
“Public office is not a platform for personal bias,” the statement said. “It is public trust. Trust must not be placed in individuals who repeatedly show contempt for the communities they claim to serve.”
When commenting on Tuesday, Lawton directed CBC News to his March 14 Facebook post that said he was “reckless, self-destructive, and said and done something deeply hurtful” in the face of a long struggle for mental health challenges.
“For me, social media became an unfortunate and extremely negative outlet when I was sick. I announced comments from my past in my youth and I felt very guilty about my behavior during this period.
“I can’t undo my past, but I can lead by example and continue to be the best man I can be,” Lawton wrote.
Lawton is a former journalist who hosts the daily radio talk show on the 980 CFPL in London and serves as the executive editor of the right-wing online publication True North. He also wrote a biography of the political career of conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Lawton has come under fire for participating in group chats recently, including the federal government’s federal government’s move toward the Emergency Act ending the 2022 protests in federal inquiry. The story was first reported by online news agency PressProgress on Friday.
“As a reporter, Mr. Lawton regularly communicates with various sources through the Public Order Emergency Committee report,” CPC spokesman Sam Lilly said in a statement to CBC News on Friday.
“Mr. Lawton wrote the only news story about the Freedom Convoy, which is a factual account of what is considered a protest in the evidence: Freedom fleet: Insider Three weeks that shocked the world. After the committee hearing, Mr. Lawton left the group. ”
Local residents protest Lawton’s candidacy
Lawton sought a CPC nomination on the ride last July, a Conservative stronghold that has been a decades-long Conservative stronghold, since MP Karen Vecchio announced since 2004 that she would not seek reelection.
Lawton competes with liberal candidate David Goodwin, NDP’s Paul Pighin and Greens’ Oriana Knox.
This is not the first time Lawton has been scrutinized in the past. He ran in London during the 2018 provincial elections, but Doug Ford’s progressive conservatives were condemned by social media comments about Islam and homosexual marriages.
Some of them include a post on X, which was previously Twitter in 2011, who wrote: “I am considering forming an all-Muslim basketball team. They will be called the Hezballers.” Lawton wrote in another post the same year: “I left the church when they decided to allow a gay marriage.”
Lawton blamed his battle with mental illness on controversial tweets at the time. He is a volunteer on the suicide prevention board of Middlesex-London.
However, this reason did not cause some people on the Lawton rural cycling to compete for the federal election. They said Lawton did not provide an explanation to voters or express remorse for his past comments.
“I heard a lot of backlash from the community, they also struggled with mental health issues and felt very insulting, and it’s all your past sins online that all your past sins are alleviating that view.”
“For marginalized groups, whether it’s women, Islamic communities or LGBTQ+ communities, he has a long history with very shocking comments and behaviors online, which is problematic because he should represent white people more than just white people [cisgender] man. ”
“The motto of Elgin County is progressive by nature, and it is a proud expression of the values of growth, inclusive and forward-looking leadership in our region,” said Devon Church, a member of Elgin County Pride.
“Mr. Lawton’s public record and personal views are in stark contrast to this vision. His ideology does not reflect progress; it reflects a return. Elections he will push us back, not forward.”
Retired social worker Rudman, one of the groups planning to protest at the Lawton campaign office in St. Thomas on Saturday, said she would help people make informed decisions.
“It’s not about red or blue. In this rural community, people vote for blue… They don’t vote for candidates, they just vote for color, and I think it’s more important now than ever because people understand the values and morals of the people they vote for.”
More than six liberal and conservative candidates have withdrawn from party tickets two weeks before the campaign voted on its controversial statement on April 28. The deadline for replacing these candidates ends on Monday.
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