Louth councillor slams BNP leaflets as '˜disgusting'

A county councillor has condemned '˜disgusting' British National Party leaflets posted through doors in the town, claiming they contain '˜racial distortions' about child sexual exploitation.
Councillor Sarah Dodds.Councillor Sarah Dodds.
Councillor Sarah Dodds.

Coun Sarah Dodds (Labour), who sits on the Children’s Safeguarding Scrutiny Group, said that the leaflets - posted through letter boxes across the town - gave a ‘false impression’ that child sexual exploitation is predominantly carried out by Muslims.

Coun Dodds said: “Child sexual exploitation is an area that the Safeguarding Committee works very hard on, and there is no racial grouping that is more likely to offend.

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“For example, look at the football scandal which is emerging at the moment.

“Abusers encompass every race, colour and religion.”

Coun Dodds continued: “The BNP leaflet, by giving a false impression of who perpetrators are likely to be, could actually make our children more vulnerable to grooming and abuse.

“Grooming can be very hard for a young person to identify at the best of times, and presenting perpetrators as belonging to one stereotype plants false assumptions in their heads about who to be cautious around, and about.”

Coun Dodds added that the oft-quoted Rotherham scandal, mentioned in the BNP leaflets, was ‘inexcusable’ - but said it is a disservice to suggest that 
child sexual exploitation can be along racial or religious lines.

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Coun Dodds added that, in Lincolnshire, far-right political radicalisation is a significantly greater concern than Islamic radicalisation.

The Leader has contacted the BNP for comment.

• Visit www.paceuk.info and www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/lscb for further details about preventing child exploitation.

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