Councillor caught posting ‘white lives matter’ on Facebook says it was ‘mistake’
A senior councillor is facing calls to resign over a string of ‘ignorant and offensive’ social media posts shared in the wake of global Black Lives Matter protests.
As people are reeling from the death of African American George Floyd in police custody, Dennis McCabe shared a post saying: ‘White Lives matter!!! Bet you won’t repost.’
The Middlesborough council executive member for environment also made a baseless claim that migrants arriving to the UK on rubber dinghies were being ‘fast tracked’ to council houses with benefits.
He shared a posts questioning why there were demonstrations over Mr Floyd’s death while there were none for the death of seven-year-old Emily Jones in Bolton in March. Eltiona Skana, 30, has been charged with her murder.
Other posts shared by Cllr McCabe included one saying: ‘One black man is killed and the world explodes. Thousands of British white children groomed and raped. Total silence and nothing happens.’
This was shared despite mainstream media reporting on – and in some cases exposing – grooming gang members who are being convicted for their crimes. The councillor also shared a post criticising Mr Floyd for his criminal record.
Cllr McCabe has since apologised for the posts and has removed them but he continues to face calls to resign or for Mayor Andy Preston to show him the door.
The town’s Labour Group leader Cllr Matt Storey told TeessideLive: ‘Middlesbrough is a tremendously diverse town and that diversity is one of our greatest strengths, something which is clearly lost on Cllr McCabe. He should consider his position and at the very least he should resign from the Mayor’s executive (team).”
Middlesbrough Independent Councillors Association (MICA) leader Cllr Jon Rathmell warned Cllr McCabe’s posts could ’cause community tensions’ and have ‘no place in today’s society’.
He added: ‘It’s not acceptable for anybody who holds public office. It goes against the grain of what Middlesbrough is about. Anybody with those types of views should do the honourable thing and step down.’
Confirming he had deleted his post, Cllr McCabe said: ‘I have to apologise to anybody I’ve upset. I’ve been active on Facebook and hastily shared a handful of things that, if I’d been more considered, I wouldn’t have done.’
He referred to a former Labour leader sharing a photo of a mural including anti-Semitic tropes on Facebook and ‘wondered how he could make such a mistake’.
Cllr McCabe added: ‘Now I can see how easy it is. ‘I’m a community guy who just wants to do my best for Middlesbrough, so I’m going to get my head down and crack on.’
Independent Mayor Andy Preston was criticised on Wednesday after urging people on social media to ignore ‘careless talk in the media about white privilege’.
When challenged on struggles faced by BAME people, he said: ‘How can it be true when so many white skinned people do so badly in our society? How can it be true when poor white boys do worse at school than poor black boys or poor Asian boys. How can it be true when some of the least diverse/most white boroughs are the poorest?’
Labour MP for Middlesborough Andy McDonald accused him of ‘staggering ignorance of the issue’, but the Mayor accused his party of trying to ‘score points’.
He insisted he has a track record of ‘supporting all underdogs’ but that his goal isn’t to ‘win a pat on the back from lefties’.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Mayor McDonald for comment.
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