The Preston City Councillor responsible for the flying of Palestinian flag over a government building has said the fact that campaigners who convinced him into the move are pro Hamas “is of no relevance”.
Labour’s Cllr Robert Boswell, who is the elected ‘Community and environment Office Holder’ admitted to being behind the contentious move that saw the Palestinian flag hoisted over Preston Town Hall. The flag was only up for four minutes due to a large number of complaints by residents. Breitbart London reported that the council received “in excess of 300” complaints about the issue.
But the damage was already done, as it caused the council to be complicit with a fundraising event for the Children of the Ghetto group, which has called itself a “special campaigning charity” even though it has no charitable status. The group auctioned off the flag after the event, raising £1500.
When asked about the group’s noted pro-Hamas status, Cllr Boswell told Breitbart London: “I have no idea and it is of no relevance to our decision to do the flag.
“I had no idea who they support and it frankly wouldn’t make any difference because they presented us with evidence plus evidence that we’ve seen on the television of an ongoing humanitarian crisis”.
When asked if it was proper for British elected officials to work with pro Hamas groups, Boswell said: “Does that make the suffering of people any less, you answer me that”.
“I’ve no evidence that we were [working with pro Hamas groups]” said Boswell, despite Breitbart London’s expose just two days ago, linking the Chairman of the Children of the Ghetto organisation with pro Hamas activities.
Despite admissions from Preston Council, a Freedom of Information request, and indeed from Boswell himself that the council worked with the Children of the Ghetto group, Boswell then went on to claim: “We’re not working with anybody, any group. We responded to a petition and we were putting the flag up as a humanitarian gesture… It favours humanity.”
Preston Council told Breitbart London that Mr. Boswell would consider flying the Israeli flag too, but when asked about this, Boswell replied, “No” but later indicated that if residents petitioned him, he might consider it.
Over this weekend, Breitbart London exposed the Children of the Ghetto group, whose Chairman, Mukhtar Master, gave a public speech in which he said, “We stand in support of the democratically elected government of Palestine, which is Hamas”.
In a speech to activists in 2009, Master claimed that Children of the Ghetto is a “special campaigning charity”, though no group ever seems to have been registered with Britain’s Charity Commission, raising concerns that Master and his colleagues are illegitimately fundraising using charitable cover, or raising money through a different charitable entity.
Towards the end of his speech, Master lavishes praise upon a friend of his who he claims wore a Palestinian football shirt with the name “HAMAS” printed on the back. He said, “We need to have that attitude because we are all now Palestinians in this day and age, we are all now Gazans in this day and age. And in this day and age brothers and sisters, we are all Hamas”.
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