Last week saw an unforgiveably vile video of a man making racist remarks about Muslim schoolgirls circulated on social media.

The video in question was filmed on a Friday afternoon outside Central Foundation Girls’ School in Bow.

The man’s voice can be heard suggesting that the girls (aged between 11 and 18) should be sterilised in ‘an experiment like those carried out like old Doctor Mengele’ - a reference to Nazi doctor who carried out appalling acts of human experimentation in the Auschwitz camp while his victims were still alive.

In addition to the revulsion felt by any decent person on hearing these comments, the video once again raises the question of the impact of social video and the dissemination of hate.

The video required swift and unequivocal condemnation.

Instead Mayor Biggs once again failed our borough by referring to the video comments as ‘negativity’ in a public statement. .

No Mr Mayor, this was not ‘negativity’ it was callous and abhorrent racism and as such should have been called out as such by you without hesitation.