Yahoo News NI Minister 'horrified' to learn of racist abuse directed at election candidate
Northern Ireland Minister of State, Fleur Anderson has said that is is "horrified" to learn of the online abuse directed at UUP candidate Jay Basra during the UK General Election campaign earlier this year.
The Minister was responding to a question from South Antrim MP Robin Swann who raised the issue in the House of Commons chamber and told MPs that Jay, who describes himself as Punjabi-British, had said that the abuse the Mid Ulster candidate received was "dehumanising and abhorrent" and that it reduced him to his skin colour rather than him as a person.
Robin Swann detailed how Jay Basra said that the abuse has only made him more determined to run again.
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Taking to her feet, Minister of State Fleur Anderson said: "I am horrified to hear of that abuse and I'm horrified to hear of any abuse that any politicians receive.
"And I commend him for his courage in saying actually, this is not putting me off, I want to stand again.
The Honourable Member is quite right to raise this, as we all would want to do and show support for him and for others who want to be able to say that they would be able to stand and not receive that abuse and we should call it out whenever we see it."
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