A London Biking Marketing campaign adviser who has helped introduce low site visitors neighbourhoods has been suspended after launching a “racist” tirade accusing black motorists of being “gangster” excessive on medication.
Simon Nonetheless, a key campaigner for the pro-cycling charity generally known as LCC, used social media to explain “younger black males in silver Mercs” as having “apparent anger administration points”.
The charity has launched an “pressing” investigation amid claims his feedback show the Authorities coverage of introducing street closures and pop-up cycle lanes is getting used as a type of “white center class gentrification” within the capital.
Mr Nonetheless, who works as LCC’s infrastructure database coordinator, posted his feedback on Twitter after changing into embroiled in rows with three separate motorists whereas out on his bike.
The tweets singled out black motorists as “younger thugs driving vehicles aggressively and dangerously”.
He wrote: “These are the identical guys driving at 60mph up my 20mph residential road. They’re most likely the identical ones carrying knives and stabbing individuals.”
He requested: “What’s improper with younger black males in silver Mercs in London” earlier than urging police to “take their vehicles away”.
He added: “I’m guessing they’d all blood take a look at constructive for hashish.”
One other tweet learn: “I’m guessing these are all gangsters – they’re driving round in the course of the day in £30k+ vehicles with apparent anger administration points. I don’t assume they’re on the 9-5 work treadmill.”
The tweets have been written two years in the past after Mr Nonetheless, 49, claimed he was reduce up by one motorists, then seemed “improper” at one other who threatened him, and eventually somebody drove at him.
When admonished on social media for utilizing offensive racial stereotypes, Mr Nonetheless wrote: “This isn’t a race factor – it’s about younger thugs driving vehicles aggressively and dangerously. In South West London they’re principally black… in Essex/Norfolk/South Wales they’re white.”
His feedback, which got here to mild final week, prompted Tim Briggs, a Conservative Lambeth councillor, to write down to city corridor bosses, urging them to sever hyperlinks with Mr Nonetheless, who was in command of the Lambeth part of the LCC charity on the time he posted his messages.
Mr Nonetheless had attended conferences with the council cupboard to advertise controversial ‘low site visitors neighbourhoods’ (LTNs).
The letter accuses the native authority of being “closely influenced” by Mr Nonetheless who’s seen as a “supply of authority and recommendation” regardless of his “racist slurs”.
Councillor Briggs additionally wrote how street closures that Mr Nonetheless had helped introduce have “displaced” site visitors from prosperous areas to primary roads “which disproportionately impacts individuals on decrease incomes together with individuals from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.”
Mr Nonetheless, who lives in Lambeth in a home estimated to be price £1.6 million, has been a distinguished biking campaigner who helped create a street signal celebrating roads being closed to vehicles. His Twitter account exhibits him sporting a T-shirt stating: ‘Evil Biking Foyer – Lifetime Member’. Mr Nonetheless declined to remark.
Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, whose daughter Ella died after a deadly bronchial asthma assault triggered by air air pollution and who has campaigned towards LTNs over considerations they shift site visitors to poorer areas, accused Mr Nonetheless of “terrible stereotyping”.
“When Mr Nonetheless says the phrase ‘black individuals’ and doesn’t say ‘some black individuals’ he’s speaking about all black individuals,” she mentioned.
“Lambeth is a really multicultural borough. He actually ought to have thought first earlier than tweeting.”
Kevin Hylton, emeritus professor of equality and variety in sport and training at Leeds Beckett College and chairman of the Sheffield Race Equality Fee, mentioned: “Mr Stills has shared racist views, and in these moments a disposition that belies the belief Londoners place in organisations like LCC to deal with them pretty.
“Final 12 months British Biking made a really clear assertion about black lives and the necessity to rid their sport of racism.”
He added how the “ill-informed tirades” have set again the “democratisation of biking” and undermined the “good factor” he was doing by selling LTNs.
The LCC mentioned: “We’ve lately acquired numerous complaints a few tweet by LCC employees member Simon Nonetheless, printed previous to him becoming a member of LCC.
“LCC takes such points extraordinarily severely, and Simon Nonetheless is presently suspended till the end result of an pressing inner listening to.”
A Lambeth Council spokesman mentioned Mr Nonetheless’s feedback have been “unacceptable”.
Calvin Robinson, a political adviser on race relations, mentioned: “This wasn’t a case of somebody misspeaking, that is a whole thread based mostly on racial stereotypes. It has someway grow to be acceptable for the hard-Left to be overtly racist in the direction of individuals they disagree with. When did this occur?
“I am not a proponent of cancel tradition, and I am not campaigning for Simon to lose his job, however I do assume he ought to publicly apologise for the vile messages he put on the market. Then it is our job to forgive and transfer on.
“We’ve to let these individuals know racism – of all kinds – is unacceptable.”
Cristo Foufas, a Lambeth resident and LTN opponent who hosts a Discuss Radio present the place the tweet was revealed, mentioned Mr Nonetheless’s feedback demonstrated the “middle-class considering they’ll inflict their racist views on one of many multicultural elements of London”.
