Bradford Council "Islamaphobic" leaflet should be binned

Bradford Council has issued a leaflet encouraging residents not to drop litter, targeted specifically at Muslims. Pretty extraordinary. Does the Labour-run Council think that Muslims are more likely to drop litter than the rest of us? Or that Christianity doesn't include enough anti litter messages for Christians to have their own anti litter leaflet.

Cllr John Robertshaw, a Conservative councillor and Chairman of the Social Care Overview & Scrutiny Committee says:

“I came across the existence of this leaflet by chance, having muted the possibility of creating one on a different subject matter. I was mortified to learn that the council has 16,000 of them, double sided, full colour and glossy, sitting in a room collecting dust. Apparently it was not until they were about to be distributed that a Labour Councillor noticed that the content was offensive.

"I find it impossible to accept that particularly in these financially difficult times no one proof read the original draft and prevented money being wasted on a leaflet which could never have been distributed. The Public Affairs and Communications Team are supposed to manage the council’s printing activities in order to deliver efficiency savings and ensure corporate compliance with the council’s communications strategy, in order to and I quote “improve public perception of Bradford through effective reputation and brand management”. It is impossible to see how this leaflet meets that criteria.

A leaflet encouraging people not to drop litter, specifically targeting believers in Islam is so outrageous that I still find it hard to believe that this has happened. What next, leaflets to individually alienate our Christian, Hindu and Buddhist residents?

I will be submitting a question to the next council meeting, asking the Leader of the Council to clarify how much the leaflets cost and who is responsible for their existence. If these had gone out the council could have been charged with inciting racial hatred, suggesting that litter dropping is exclusive to or more prevalent amongst Muslims."