Election 2015: Tory candidate Gulzabeen Afsar suspended for Ed Miliband 'The Jew' Facebook comment

A Tory council candidate has been suspended from the party after saying she could never support Labour leader Ed Miliband because he is Jewish.

Gulzabeen Afsar, 31, a council candidate for Derby, was criticised for saying how she "just can't take Ed Miliband seriously" – adding that she would never "drop that low and support the Al Yahud [Arabic word for 'the Jew'] in a post on Facebook.

The Conservatives said the remarks were "offensive and wrong" and that Afsar has now been suspended from the party.

"There is no place in our party for these comments or attitudes," a spokesperson added.

Afsar soon deleted the post and apologised for any offence caused.

Derby Labour Party said it is "terrifying" that a Tory candidate would make such a remark following the rise in anti-Semitism across Europe.

A spokesperson said: "Derby Conservatives should launch an immediate investigation into this incident and take the appropriate action. Derby must be free from prejudice, especially from those seeking elected office."

Mark Gardner, of the Community Security Trust, a charity that monitors anti-Semitism and provides security for the UK Jewish community, said comments were "doubly stupid" as Afsar had put them in public Facebook.

Afsar will still appear on the election ballot paper on 7 May marked as a Conservative candidate.