Kirklees Reform councillor claims 'make England Islam-free' posts were 'satire'
“The posts from my social media account were cherry-picked, taken out of context and were intended as satire. I want to be clear, I do not hold these views."
A Reform UK councillor – who was called out for alleged online discrimination – has argued the posts were “satire”, after calls from council opposition for his conduct to be investigated.
Last week (July 16), Councillor Eric Butterworth, for Dewsbury East, came under fire over alleged historic posts on an X account in the name of Cllr Butterworth.
The posts were all shared or written under the handle @ginandtonicnow/Cllr Eric Butterworth – which was understood to be Butterworth’s official account – and were made between early 2025 and 2026.
Among the share posts was an image with text reading “From the English Channel to the North Sea, Make England ISLAM-FREE” and a comment to a photo of King Charles giving a knighthood to Sir Sadiq Khan, which read: “Pity the King doesn’t have Tourette’s”.
In response to a post asking “What did Pakistan give the world?”, a comment from the same account read “an alternative gene pool”.
Cllr Butterworth refused to comment when approached on video about the nature of posts to the account on ‘X’. The Local Democracy Service understands that the account was still active on/after July 7 2026, when screenshots were taken, but has since been deactivated/deleted.
Now, Cllr Butterworth has issued a formal response – claiming the posts had been “cherry-picked” and that they were intended to be satirical.
Responding to the Local Democracy Service, Cllr Butterworth pleaded: “I have received reports that historical posts have been circulated by persons who claim I am a racist.”
He went on to claim that in spite of the posts, he did “not hold” racist views.
The response read: “The posts from my social media account were cherry-picked, taken out of context and were intended as satire. I want to be clear, I do not hold these views. However, I understand how these posts may have caused offence. This was never my intention, and anyone who knows me personally can attest to that…
“I would like to apologise for any offence that they have caused.”
This comes after a statement from the Kirklees Independents Group, which publicly condemned the alleged posts, expressing “serious concern” about the “racist, Islamophobic and deeply offensive” nature of the posts.
In the statement, the Kirklees Independents – headed by Cllr Habiban Zaman – called for the allegations to be investigated “thoroughly” and for any findings to be dealt with appropriately “in accordance with the standards expected of those holding public office.”
Cllr Zaman said: “The allegations surrounding these social media posts are deeply troubling and have understandably caused considerable concern amongst residents across Kirklees….
“If these posts are genuine, they appear to go well beyond the bounds of legitimate political debate or freedom of expression. Comments that target people on the basis of their faith, ethnicity or background have no place in public life and risk undermining the community cohesion that so many people work hard to build and protect….
“Any language that appears to promote prejudice, hostility or exclusion towards an entire community is unacceptable. Such allegations cannot simply be ignored and should be subject to a full and transparent investigation by the appropriate authorities.”
Previously, Kirklees Council reiterated its code of conduct. Regarding historic posts to X, a spokesperson for Kirklees Council said: “Councillors are required to comply with the Council’s Code of Conduct when acting in their capacity as elected members.
“The unverified screenshots in question appear to be from posts made prior to the individual being elected as a councillor and before they were subject to the Code of Conduct.”
Kirklees Council were contacted for further comment.