The University of York Green Party has faced strong criticism after the latest in a string of recent gaffes.
During last week’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, an email was sent to their entire mailing list calling for the Queen’s execution.
The message, which was headed “Vive Le [sic] Republique”, was sent by the society’s secretary, Alfie van den Bos. The opening line read “The Queen must die so the nation may live.”
The email attracted a significant amount of attention on Twitter from across the country after a member of the University’s Labour Club called for an apology.
One individual who was particularly offended, tweeted suggesting that the incident should be reported to the police. Another called for Green Party leader Caroline Lucas to take action.
The Greens quickly apologised for the indiscretion in an email sent two hours later, which clarified that the statement had been “intended as a joke” and that it should not in any way be taken seriously as “the Greens at all levels are a pacifist party who do not believe in hurting others.”
Mr van den Bos also apologised in a personal capacity on Twitter, writing that it was “an unfunny joke gone wrong” and highlighting that whilst the Green Party opposes the monarchy they “do not endorse regicide.”
The Greens’ current chair, Lisa Camps, played down the situation, commented that the club’s emails are “very tongue-in-cheek.”
Camps has also come under fire in the past week for being billed as speaking in defence of Hugo Chávez at an NGS event held on campus. This led to York student and UKIP supporter Jacob Campbell branding the Greens as “a bunch of nasty extremists” and described Camps as “an apologist for authoritarian regimes” in a recent blog post.
Camps made light of Mr Campbell’s accusations, adding that she was speaking in a personal capacity and “advocating the policies of a democratically elected president.”
Van den Bos spoke to Vision, “Our weekly newsletter is always written in a light-hearted fashion that often takes a candid view of politics. We apologise for any offence caused. Clearly we wish no harm upon the royal family even though we disagree with any form of hereditary power.”
Ah, the Greens: the political party that had a witch-hunt against anyone with a Jewish sounding name in case they were an evil ‘Zionist’
http://contested-terrain.net/institutional-antisemitism-in-the-british-greens/
The political party whose candidate for leader (to replace Lucas) was quite happy to meet with the Syrian Fascist party the SSNP, whose members greet their leaders with a Hitlerian salute; sing their Arabic anthem, “Greetings to You, Syria,” to the strains of “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles”
http://cifwatch.com/2011/07/10/guardian-airbrushes-extremist-links-of-british-flytilla-participants/
This article sums up everything wrong with journalism. Goodness me, you really need to take a look at yourself Derek and think… “who am I benefiting writing such articles?” Certainly not yourself; you come across as a petty individual with nothing better to do than cling onto non-stories and painfully attempt to turn them into something interesting. The world has no place for people like you. You’d be better off focussing your time on those going hungry in Africa than moaning about a joke in an email. Leave here, Derek, and never return.