By ALAN SHACKLETON
Accusations regarding alleged racist comments on Twitter and threats of a libel suit are in the air between the federal Liberal and Conservative candidates in the Beaches-East York riding.
Earlier in the day on Friday, Sept. 10, Liberal candidate Nathaniel Erskine-Smith put out a tweet referring to a Twitter comment allegedly made by Conservative candidate Lisa Robinson in 2017.
That tweet was attributed to a Twitter account called “Ward 1 city councillor candidate”. The content of that July 1, 2017 tweet was derogatory towards Muslims living in Canada.
Robinson said the Twitter account in question is fake and is not hers.
In his tweet, Erskine-Smith said “’Ward 1 city councillor candidate’ is none other than Lisa Robinson, the Conservative candidate in Beaches-East York.”
About an hour after Erskine-Smith posted his tweet, Robinson responded to him on Twitter saying that Ward 1 city councillor candidate account was fake and she had reported it as such to Durham Regional Police in 2018.
“This account is fake and in 2018 I reported it to the Durham police. I will be signing an attestation confirming this fact. Sharing this false information is defamatory and must be removed immediately. Alternatively, you’ll be getting a libel notice shortly,” said Robinson in her tweet.
Beach Metro News reached out to the Robinson campaign for comment and was referred to her tweet above.
Robinson’s reply to Erskine-Smith’s tweet was made on her @60secwithLisa Twitter account, which is the one Beach Metro News was referred to.
Robinson did run for Pickering Council in the 2018 municipal election. She narrowly lost the race for city councillor in Pickering’s Ward 1 by less than 200 votes.
Erskine-Smith said he had talked to Robinson today (Sept. 10) and asked her for evidence that she had reported the Ward 1 city councillor candidate account to Twitter as being fake.
He said he was waiting to see that evidence as of 3 p.m. today. “If she were to provide some evidence at all it was not her, then yes I would have it removed of course,” said Erskine-Smith of his tweet.
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