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A council candidate who was suspended from the Conservative Party has apologised for comparing Islam to Nazism.
Karen Sunderland, who now has to stand as an independent during her suspension and the party investigation, released a statement on Youtube.
She said: "Last year on Twitter, I put out some content on my account regarding my views about religious ideology, and some of my worries and some of my concerns about how I believe religious ideologies are impacting on our free society, our democracy, and on some of our hard-fought-for values and freedoms in the UK.
"What I do realise on reflection is that I chose some of my words poorly, and I want to sincerely apologise for any offence that I have caused. I'd also like to reassure you that I am not a hateful person.