Egg-throwers who targeted Warsi are 'out of touch' (From Asian Image)

Egg-throwers who targeted Warsi are 'out of touch'

11:09am Tuesday 1st December 2009 in

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The men who threw eggs at Baroness Warsi during a visit to Luton were “out-of-touch fanatics”, a Conservative election candidate has said.

Nigel Huddleston, a prospective parliamentary candidate for Luton South, was with the shadow minister for community cohesion and social action when the attack took place.

He denounced those responsible as “a small bunch of extremists bent on dividing the community”.

He said: “After throwing a stream of incredibly offensive comments as well as eggs at the Baroness, it is inconceivable that these people could have gone home to their families honestly believing that they had been a good Muslim today.

”Their warped interpretation of the Quran is truly astonishing and one can only wonder what kind of religious, educational and family upbringing they must have had to turn them into such out-of-touch fanatics.”

Baroness Warsi was walking down Dunstable Road when the group started shouting and screaming abuse at her and pelting her with eggs yesterday, her spokesman said.

”They were saying something about her not being a proper Muslim,” he said. “But rather than run off, she stood her ground and said ‘let’s have a proper debate, let’s have an argument.’ ”But they just carried on screaming and shouting at her.”

According to reports the male protesters also accused her of supporting the death of Muslims in Afghanistan.

One of the eggs they threw hit her and soiled her jacket but she was unshaken by what happened, her spokesman added.

Baroness Warsi said: “These men are a bunch of idiots who do not represent the wider Muslim community.

”I stood up to them and challenged them to a proper debate, but they weren’t prepared to listen.”

The attack took place in Luton’s Bury Park area, which is home to a Muslim community.

After the incident, she conducted a question and answer session with local residents with egg still in her hair, Mr Huddleston said.

He echoed Baroness Warsi’s comments that her attackers brought the faith of Islam into disrepute and did not speak for Luton’s Muslims.

Mr Huddleston will stand against That’s Life presenter Esther Rantzen in the general election.

Baroness Warsi was named this year as Britain’s most powerful Muslim woman in a list published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.