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The Conservative candidate for London mayor, Susan Hall has repeatedly attended protests and posed at campaign events with a prominent anti-ULEZ activist who has said that he “applauds” the criminal destruction of TfL property, and who has suggested that “Islamists” are in charge of the country and trying to “rig” the general election, Byline Times can reveal.
Hall traveled on her campaign bus on Monday to meet and pose for photos with Nick Arlett, who runs the ‘Action against ULEZ’ group and has been campaigning for his supporters to back the Conservative candidate in Thursday’s election against Sadiq Khan.
Hall was photographed by journalists posing with Arlett alongside vehicles covered with banners backing Hall and urging voters to oust Khan. Arlett has previously shared photos on social media of himself arm in arm with Hall at another event, as well as a video of her attending one of their protests and thanking the campaigners for “everything that you do”.
Hall’s decision to campaign alongside Arlett comes despite him openly sharing his extreme views online.
On his Facebook page, he has shared posts backing Tommy Robinson, suggested the UK will “fall” to Islam and falsely claimed that Khan has said he will prioritise Muslims for “housing, free school meals, free training for better jobs”. In February he posted an image from GB News with the headline ‘Islamists in Charge of Britain’, which he accompanied with the text “could not agree more.” Other posts shared by Arlett include memes suggesting white people are being replaced by Muslims and a photo of two signs reading “we cater to white trade only” and “we serve colored carry out only”.
Arlett, who is a leading figure in the anti-ULEZ campaign movement, has also shared posts promoting the actions of ‘blade runners’ who destroy ULEZ cameras.
“Anybody that is silly enough to think blade runners will go away are kidding themselves”, he told Bloomberg last year. “I don’t condone it, but I understand it and I applaud it.”
Hall has previously claimed that tackling crime in London would be her “top priority”
However, Arlett’s activities brought him to the attention of the police at one recent protest, after which supporters shared video of him being arrested by officers. Arlett was contacted for comment but had not responded by time of publication.
Hall’s repeated association with extreme anti-ULEZ protestors is part of a deliberate strategy by her party’s campaign to exploit opposition to Khan’s clean air policies. A report by Greenpeace revealed this week that Conservative campaigners have set up a network of anti-ULEZ Facebook groups, which are filled with Islamophobic and racist comments and conspiracy theories about Khan. Some of the groups have been joined by Hall and other senior Conservative politicians including the policing minister Chris Philp.
Hall’s association with Arlett comes after it was revealed that she had also shared multiple offensive posts on her own Twitter account, including liking a post using the Islamophobic term Londonistan. Hall has also previously suggested that Jewish Londoners should be “frightened” of London’s Muslim mayor and claimed that black people have a “problem with crime.”
Susan Hall’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.