Update: “Police seize computer and search home of UKIP’s Eric Kitson”

UKIP’s Eric Kitson

“POLICE have raided the house of a UKIP politician embroiled in a race hate storm – as he confirmed his formal resignation as a councillor is taking place today.

Officers from West Mercia Police have searched the Stourport-based home of Eric Kitson and seized his computer to gather evidence for a possible prosecution.

The 59-year-old has not been arrested, but has been voluntarily interviewed about the saga of his anti-Muslim, anti-Jewish Facebook rants.

He will formally resign as a councillor at 4pm today – despite only winning a seat at Worcestershire County Council 13 days ago.

It means his spell at County Hall is the shortest of any elected politician in the authority’s history, and will trigger a by-election.

A statement released on his behalf by UKIP said: “It is with sadness that I am announcing my resignation as a councillor.

“I am extremely sorry to have let down my friends, the people in the hardworking UKIP team that got me elected, the people of Stourport, and of course my family.

“Like many people who are not professional politicians I used my Facebook page a general post board.

“That was foolish – I am no racist, but I can understand why people could think so.”

 The UK Independence Party say a meeting is due in the coming days of its decision-making National Executive Committee, which is almost certain to revoke his membership too.

He was outed over the weekend for filling his now-deleted Facebook page with a host of racist images and cartoons.

Among the most shocking was a cartoon of a Muslim being spit-roasted on a fire fuelled by copies of the Koran.

He also made comments referring to Muslim women, saying “hang um first then ask questions later” and called for the repatriation of “six million migrants and refugees”.

West Mercia Police had received complaints from the public over the saga, and acted by searching his home last night.

A spokesman said: “Eric Kitson, from Stourport, was voluntarily interviewed by officers from West Mercia Police over concerns raised by the public about allegedly offensive and racist comments made on social media.

“A computer was seized and a property in Stourport searched by police for evidence gathering purposes.

“A file has been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service for their consideration.”

Police have also taken a statement from Mumshad Ahmed, a Muslim former county councillor, who wants him prosecuted for inciting racial hatred.”

Link

Further reading: “More Ukip horror as investigation exposes racist abuse”

Latest (mainstream): 12.06.13:  Support for UKIP plummets by A THIRD – leaving them tied with the Lib Dems, poll reveals

Update on Kitson: Defeated councillor John Thomas wins Stourport by-election

“UKIP county councillor Eric Kitson facing the sack for posting racist comments on Facebook”

Eric Kitson ‘racist comments’

A NEW UKIP councillor in Worcestershire has sparked fury amid allegations he unleashed a series of racist abuse online.

Eric Kitson, who won a seat in Stourport just 11 days ago, is facing the sack today over a cartoon of a Muslim being spit-roasted on a fire fuelled by copies of the Koran on his Facebook page.

In one comment, which was believed to have been posted since becoming a councillor, he said in reference to Muslim women: “Hang um all first then ask questions later.”

A raft of anti-Jewish remarks have also appeared on his Facebook site, and in a separate post he has called for the repatriation of “six million migrants and refugees”.

There was also false claims posted on his site that the Rothschild banking dynasty had controlled Nazi Germany’s leader Adolf Hitler.

His Facebook page has also called for Muslim women to be hanged, suggested Islam is “a cancer” that should be eradicated “with nuclear weapons” and expressd support for UKIP leader Nigel Farage teaming up with BNP boss Nick Griffin.

His site also called for the world to “unite against Islam” and supports the far-right English Defence League.

The pages have been re-published on a website called Stand for Peace, which has condemned his actions.

The Muslim community has called the rants “sickening” and a petition is being circulated around mosques tonight calling for his removal.

Councillor Adrian Hardman, the leader of Worcestershire County Council, said: “This looks like criminal activity because he’s inciting racial hatred – he should do the honourable thing and resign because he has brought shame on the county.”

The attacks are currently being investigated by UKIP HQ in London, and have been condemned as “disgusting” by senior figures at Worcestershire County Council this morning.

Councillor Kitson has only just been through training for being an elected politician, and is one of four UKIP members to have just been elected to the authority for the first time ever.

If he is removed from his position it would be the shortest spell any elected politician has ever had in County Hall – and would trigger a by-election.

A UKIP spokesman told the Worcester News: “The party is looking into it because we need to find out exactly what has gone on here.

“We don’t want to dismiss him outright until we investigate it.

“Our understanding is that he has offered to resign over it, but we need to establish what’s happened.

“A conversation will be taking place and if we find out he has behaved inappropriately, he would have to go.”

Councillor Peter McDonald, leader of Worcestershire’s Labour group, said: “These remarks are disgusting and it brings the whole office of being a councillor into disrepute.

“It’s a terrible mess, he has let himself down, the council down, and the voters who elected him in down – they did not vote for this.

“It’s terribly sad and pretty shocking what he has done – this man is now an elected councillor.”

The authority has already had one request for the Standards Committee to investigate, and has released a statement in the last few minutes.

Simon Mallinson, head of legal and democratic services, said: “Whilst we would avoid commenting on any individual case at this stage, elected members are expected to comply with the council’s code of conduct when they act in their role as county councillors.

“Any complaint that this code has been breached when acting in such a role will be carefully considered.”

Coun Kitson has yet to respond to calls from the press, nor has Wyre Forest’s UKIP branch.

Muslim Mumshad Ahmed, a former county councillor, said: “I am sickened and disgusted by this, I cannot believe the hatred he is creating.

“I will be taking a petition around mosques tonight to get people to sign it, this man is doing something very dangerous – when a Koran was burned there was riots around the world.

“I cannot see why he’s done this.”

Link

See the rest of Kitson’s facebook posts here