Police officers asked to consider 'harm' done by Nigel Farage in publicly funded lecture about Islamophobia

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 08:57 EDT, 29 September 2026 | Updated: 09:53 EDT, 29 September 2026 Police officers were asked to consider the 'harm' Nigel Farage has caused to Muslims in a lecture on Islamophobia. The host of the hate crime seminar asked the police if the Reform Party leader should be arrested for doubting whether young Muslims can integrate into British society.The conference held late last year was hosted by a former police officer called Abbas Najib, who is now the chief executive of the charity Better Communities Bradford.Officers from North Yorkshire Police were told to consider whether a politician who said Jewish people could not assimilate into British society would be 'locked up'.During the lecture a clip of Mr Farage being interviewed in 2024 was played, in which he said: 'We have a growing number of young people in this country who do not subscribe to British values, in fact loathe much of what we stand for.'Asked to clarify which young people he was speaking about, Mr Farage confirmed he meant Muslims. He added that the then frequent marches and demonstrations held across Britain over Israel's actions in Palestine were evidence of his fears. But in footage of the lecture first reported by the Telegraph, Mr Najib told officers to ask themselves if Mr Farage said: 'Jews hate Britain' it would be a racially aggravated offence.Police officers were lectured on the harm Nigel Farage has caused to Muslims in a lecture He added: 'He'd be locked up before he left the studio, and too right too.'Mr Najib then asked the police officers to consider whether Mr Farage's views could result in crimes being committed against Muslims. He referred to a video of a Muslim bus driver being racially abused in 2024. Mr Najib told the officers to 'draw your own conclusions' about whether Mr Farage's words had 'influence on something like this'.He added: 'Ask yourself, who is going to get into trouble between those two gentlemen? And who did the most harm?'The lecture at the York and North Yorkshire Hate Crime Conference was part of a scheme called Project Unity aimed at improving relations between cultural groups. Since it opened in January 2019, Better Communities Bradford has received £490,000 from the National Lottery Communities Fund. This includes a £35,000 grant to launch Project Unity which provides training on 'media and political narratives' and 'myths and misconceptions about Islam'.The lecture argued that the values of Islam are compatible with British society. In particular respect for democracy, the rule of law, tolerance and individual liberty were given as examples.Mr Najib said in defence of his lecture: 'Project Unity exists to reduce anti-Muslim hostility and strengthen trust between communities. 'Participants consider how the same words would be heard if they were said about Jewish people, black people or any other minority community, so that one standard is applied to everyone, whoever is speaking and whatever their politics.'