The party slams the latest vile diatribe from the poison pen of Daily Mail hack Richard Littlejohn.

On February 18th, Mr Littlejohn published an article in the Daily Mail site (which is available on the Daily Mail’s website for those with strong stomachs, though we won’t be affording it the legitimacy of a hyperlink) entitled ‘Jolly Jihadi Boy’s Outing to Legoland’.

While purporting to be about a radical Muslim cleric who was hiring out Legoland for an event, the article contained several generic stereotypes about Muslims in general. Such lazy journalism is highly dangerous in a society which should be seeking greater understanding between communities. As such, newspapers like the Daily Mail have a responsibility not to promote such inflammatory stereotyping.

This is the latest in a long line of Littlejohn attacks, which he has the temerity to call journalism. In December 2010, he wrote about wheelchair protester Jody McIntyre after he had been dragged by police from his wheelchair. Jody, who is a good friend of the Respect Party, joined the ranks of those who Richard Littlejohn finds it appropriate to malign and slander – usually the most vulnerable in our society. George Galloway famously challenged Mr Littlejohn to a charity boxing match following the publication of that article, the proceeds of which would have gone to a cerebral palsy charity. You can listen to an extract of the challenge here.

The Respect Party believes that such language, which is employed with such fervour by the far-right in this country, is unacceptable in a so-called respectable newspaper. Some groups have already condemned his article by writing directly to the Daily Mail, and we support this position.

You can find the original letter here.