Tory councillor who shared Facebook meme saying ‘white slaves were sold for centuries’ is facing misconduct probe
- Pauline Culley broke Darlington Borough Council’s code of conduct last year
- The councillor since 2014 shared a meme that read ‘white slaves were sold’
- Opposition councillors said meme suggested black suffering was insignificant
A Tory councillor who shared a Facebook meme saying ‘white slaves were sold for centuries’ has been put forward for a misconduct hearing.
Pauline Culley was found to have broken Darlington Borough Council’s code of conduct after posting the picture online last year.
She shared a post depicting white women being restrained by Arabic men to her profile at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement last summer, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The image had black text over it which read: ‘All our ancestors sold slaves, took slaves or were slaves. You’re not special.’
Pauline Culley shared a post (pictured) depicting white women being restrained by Arabic men to her profile at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement last summer, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service
Mrs Culley (pictured) was found to have broken Darlington Borough Council’s code of conduct
Opposition councillors blasted Mrs Culley for suggesting the suffering of black people was insignificant.
The councillor, who has served on the authority since 2014 and chairs the South Durham Conservative Group, later deleted her account.
Text on the meme also said: ‘Black people owned and sold slaves. Asian people, native people and Middle Eastern people owned and sold slaves.
‘Everyone’s ancestors participated in slavery, it wasn’t exclusive to white people. Stop trying to make people feel guilty for things they didn’t do.’
Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green groups lodged a joint complaint which sparked the inquiry.
Green Party leader Matthew Snedker said people were ‘appalled’ by the post.
A post on Darlington Labour’s Twitter page read: ‘It is disgraceful that an elected member would see fit to post such appalling content’
Others said the post made the council seem less approachable on issues of race equality. A post on Darlington Labour’s Twitter page read: ‘It is disgraceful that an elected member would see fit to post such appalling content and it is very concerning if she is not able to see an issue with this post.’
Mrs Culley was ‘very reluctant to give her opinion on the post’, according to the authority’s report, but later said it was factual and she had not added an opinion on its content.
She said she did not think it was racist or offensive.
MailOnline has approached Mrs Culley and the council for comment.
If the complaints are upheld the council’s standards panel could write a formal letter to Mrs Culley or call for a motion to censure her.