What did Romford Ukip candidate Gerard Batten have to say about the Paris attacks?

UKIP's Gerard Batten in his new Romford office (photo: Arnaud Stephenson) Archant

Romford’s Ukip candidate Gerard Batten has reiterated his belief that Muslims should sign a code of conduct to prove they are not terrorists when entering Britain.

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In the wake of the Paris attacks last week, Mr Batten was quick to publish comments on his website, saying the problem was an “ideological struggle” that had to be “won within the ranks of the followers of Islam themselves”.

The 2006 publication he sponsored, A Proposed Charter of Muslim Understanding, written by Mr Batten’s friend Sam Solomon, a former Sharia lawyer, drew criticism for claiming Muslims should sign a code of conduct on entry to a country, supporting equality and rejecting violence.

“Who could possibly object to these principles in this day and age?” he writes on his website, criticising the press for suggesting he was being “nasty” to Muslims.

Speaking to the Recorder about the possibility that Muslims might be offended by having to prove they are not a terrorist, Mr Batten justified it by saying the “bulk of terrorists are Muslim”.

On the prospect of terrorists lying and signing the document in order to gain entry, he added: “If they’ve got any integrity they wouldn’t sign it. They don’t believe in tolerance – they would be lying through their teeth.”

His full post can be read here.