Change UK: Same Old Hypocrisy

Change UK: Second candidate resigns in 24 hours, after ‘crazy black wh***’ remarks emerge

Joseph Russo, who was revealed by the pro-European party as the lead candidate in Scotland, will no longer stand.

A Twitter post from his account said:

“Black women scare me. I put this down to be chased through Amsterdam by a crazy black wh***”.

A number of offensive tweets between 2010 and 2013 were unearthed on his account.

In 2012, a post referred to the arrest of former pop start Gary Glitter for historic child sex offences, saying it “smacked of the police targeting low hanging fruit”.

Glitter was found guilt of attempted rape, indecent assault and having sex with a child under the age of 13 in 2015.

Another post on his account said: “I wonder if there’s a c***/anchovy correlation. One smells like the other.”

In other comments, where the full context is unclear, an unknown American woman was described as a

“b****”, with the post adding: “I’d burn her as a yule log.”

It follows the resignation of businessman Ali Sadjady, who stepped down after it emerged he tweeted in 2017: “When I hear that 70% of pick pockets caught on the London Underground are Romanian it kind of makes me want Brexit.”

Ali Sadjady, a former Tory who was unveiled by the new group as a candidate for London in the European Parliament on Tuesday, was accused of joining in “hate speech” against EU citizens.

It has also emerged that he has a history of making potentially sexist comments about women.

Mr Sadjady had said in a tweet in November 2017.

“When I hear that 70% of pick pockets caught on the London Underground are Romanian it kind makes me want Brexit,” 

The Independent Group earlier this year was marred when one of its MPs, Angela Smith, caused an uproar by describing people from ethnic monitories as having a “funny tinge” in a discussion about racism and skin colour on live TV.

In another controversial tweet dating back to just after the EU referendum Mr Sadjady, a martial arts fighter, said: “Brexit is like dumping your girlfriend because she’s expensive and high maintenance and then realizing [sic] she’s pretty hot.”

But he appeared to have a change of heart about leaving the EU, later branding Mayor of London Sadiq Khan a “joke of a man” for advocating a second Brexit referendum.

“Democracy was served – I voted Remain but stand by the vote cast because I believe in democracy,” he said in October 2018.

On an earlier occasion, he said: “To those petitioning for a second EU referendum, don’t you believe in democracy or does it not apply when things don’t go your way?”