The North Northamptonshire councillor allegedly shouted appalling racial slurs at his neighbours and threatened them
A Reform councillor in North Northamptonshire has resigned after allegations he directed racial abuse at a black family living near him.
One of Councillor Robert Bloom’s neighbours has said he repeatedly shouted the ‘n’ word at her, and told the family he would set the far-right group, the English Defence League, on them.
A photo of Robert Bloom from the local election campaign. Credit: Eddie McDonald/Reform
On another occasion, he told the family “to go back where they came from” and said “there would be black body bags”.
The family, who are British with African and West Indian heritage, moved into a house near Bloom in July and said he started targeting them also immediately.
The neighbour told The Northamptonshire Telegraph that Bloom asked the family if they believed in “borders and reparations for slavery”.
The neighbour also said he told her that “‘We’ (African people) wanted to be civilised and the British went in and conquered you. We sold ourselves into slavery. I looked into his face and said, ‘you’re a racist’, and walked away.”
Despite attempts to improve relations by inviting Bloom for a meal, the councillor allegedly repeated the ‘n’ word several times after the family played Bob Marley music.
The neighbour was so concerned for her safety that she has recorded hours-long rants directed at her by the Reform councillor.
The woman reported her concerns to the council yesterday, and Bloom subsequently resigned from his role, triggering a by-election.
A Reform insider has claimed that Bloom has no links to the EDL, a now defunct far-right Islamophobic group led by Tommy Robinson.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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