A controversial British MP has declared his Bradford constituency an "Israel-free zone", in comments that are bound to invite further allegations of racism.
"We have declared Bradford an Israel free zone," George Galloway told his far-left Respect Party activists at a meeting in Leeds.
He added, ‘’We don’t want any Israeli goods. We don’t want any Israeli services. We don’t want any Israeli academics, coming to the university or the college. We don’t even want any Israeli tourists to come to Bradford if any of them had thought of doing so.’’
His Bradford-West constituency is a hot spot for Muslim extremism. He was elected on his Respect Party ticket, after he was ejected from the Labor Party in 2003 over differences on Iraq.
‘We reject this illegal, barbarous, savage state that calls itself Israel. And you have to do the same,’’ the MP, who has a long history of anti-Israel bigotry, said.
Galloway was branded a racist when he stormed out of a debate after finding out that his opponent was Israel, saying "I don't debate with Israelis."
He has also publicly aired several bizarre anti-Israel conspiracy theories, including claims that Israel was engineering unrest in Ukraine, and that the Jewish state had given chemical weapons to Al Qaeda.
West Yorkshire police said they are investigating Galloway's comments. A police spokesman said: “We have received two separate complaints about comments attributed to George Galloway MP during a speech he gave at a public meeting in Leeds on 2nd August 2014. We are currently investigating the complaints.” apparently told a political meeting he had declared the city an Israel free zone.