Reform UK has suspended its Hampshire mayoral candidate after he appeared to liken a Jewish neighbourhood watch group to “Islamists on horseback” following an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances.
Chris Parry has been suspended pending investigation following the remarks about Shomrim, a voluntary patrol service, in a series of social media posts on Monday.
He also reportedly described the members of the group as “cosplayers”, according to The Guardian, in a post which has since been deleted.
Shomrim works alongside Hatzola, the Jewish-led charity ambulance service that was targeted by arsonists early on Monday morning and provides free emergency medical response and transportation to hospitals.
Mr Parry reportedly shared a post from former Brexit party leader Catherine Blaiklock, who had posted a picture of Shomrim vehicles with the caption: “Can Christian’s [sic] in Britain set up their own police and patrol certain neighbourhoods?”
Resharing the post, Mr Parry added: “Remember that these cosplayers have no more jurisdiction or legal authority than ordinary citizens.”
Referring to Shomrim, he later posted: “They are a community organisation, not a legal entity. It’s the same with Islamists on horseback. But if it offends you, I’ll remove it.”
Mr Parry had been due to stand as Reform’s mayoral candidate in Hampshire and the Solent in 2028.
Contacted by The Guardian, which first reported the posts, Mr Parry responded: “Most people on X commenting seem to be confusing various community action groups with the real police. Keen that people understand that.”
Shomrim president Rabbi Herschel Gluck accused Mr Parry of being “ignorant” of the work the group carries out.
He said: “It shows a level of bias and ignorance which I’m surprised at given that this is a politician who aspires to be a mayor. These types of comments are deeply strange, to put it mildly.
“We work on a voluntary basis with all sections of the community and have a very close relationship with the police, who are very appreciative of our role.”
The remarks on Monday are not the first by Mr Parry to have drawn controversy, with the mayoral candidate having previously urged deputy prime minister David Lammy to “go home to the Caribbean”.
In a post in January regarding speculation that the government could be considering talks about reparations for slavery, he wrote: “Lammy must go home to the Caribbean where his loyalty lies.”
He later apologised “for any distress or offence” caused by that comment, which was condemned as racist by Labour and described by party leader Nigel Farage as “over the top” at the time.
A Reform party spokesman said: “Chris Parry has been suspended by Reform UK, pending investigation.”
His candidacy has also been suspended, it is understood.
Mr Parry’s latest remarks come after four Jewish community ambulances were set on fire in the early hours of Monday morning.
The incident in Golders Green, northwest London, is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime by the Metropolitan Police but not as terrorism at this stage, the force said.
Sir Keir Starmer called for communities to “all stand together” in the face of the “horrific antisemitic attack”, while Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the targeting of the volunteer service was “particularly sickening”.
It came just months after two worshippers were killed in a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester in October 2025, while in a separate investigation earlier this month two men were charged with allegedly spying on Jewish people and locations for Iran.
The latest official figures on hate crime recorded by police in England and Wales showed Jewish people had the highest rate of religious hate crimes targeted towards them of any faith group.
The Liberal Democrats said Mr Parry’s latest remarks were “deeply insensitive, insulting and not befitting of someone who wants to hold public office.”
Following his suspension, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson said Reform had questions to answer over his initial vetting.
“This is a good start, but Farage has some way to go,” he said.
“There are serious questions to answer as to how this candidate got approved in the first place.
“Farage must now ensure he takes firmer action every time a Reform politician or candidate makes racially offensive comments – which is more frequently than most right-minded people would want.”
