MPs office attacked as pro-Palestine activists stage ‘blood on your hands’ demos
Labour shadow Welsh secretary was among a number of MPs targeted by hardline activists following Wednesday's Commons Gaza vote
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Pro-Palestinian protesters have daubed the office of an MP who abstained on a vote on a Gaza ceasefire with red paint accused her of having “blood” on her hands.
A second MP found her constituency office surrounded by activists linked to the hardline Stop The War Coalition on Thursday night.
While a group of around 50 Palestine activists staged a protest in Leicester city centre at the decision by their two MPs not to back a vote in the Commons calling for a ceasefire.
Shadow Welsh secretary Jo Stevens said the damage to her office in Cardiff was both “intimidating” and “threatening”with some accusing the Cardiff Central MP of supporting the deaths of babies in Gaza.
Stevens told BBC Wales: “I absolutely support the right to protest, but what was done last night has gone way beyond that.
“If you have someone write murder across your door, it is intimidating. Ultimately it is a criminal offence.”
It also emerged that former Plaid Cymru MS Bethan Sayed was among those to join the protest.
Meanwhile outside the Tower Hamlets office of the Labour MP Rushanara Ali campaigners raged: “Rushanara Ali MP has failed us all, she must resign, she did not vote for a ceasefire” after she also failed to vote for an SNP amendment in the Commons calling for a ceasefire.
Labour sources confirmed to Jewish News that some local party members were among those on the protest.
The journalist and former Channel 4 News presenter Paul Mason added:”Anyone who shares a platform with the organisations inciting these attacks should be out of the Labour Party.”
Metropolitan Police officers arrived at the scene. One speaker from the Stop The War group claimed the police had “stopped me specifically from being able to speak at the protest.”
Jewish News contacted the Met press office to check the claims made by Shabbir Lakha, a officer with the far-left group.
???????????????? #Leicester: Angry local residents came out in the city centre straight after work demanding MP @JonAshworth & @LeicesterLiz’s resignation after they abstained from the #CeasefireNowInGaza vote yesterday.
Jon changed his meeting to a zoom call after hearing about the protest pic.twitter.com/Km6BQcN8xg
— Majid Freeman (@Majstar7) November 16, 2023
Protesters went to rally outside the local offices of the Bethnal Green and Bow MP, from 5.30pm on Thursday.
TV journalist Patrick Christys was filmed being surrounded by “angry” protesters later.
Meanwhile in Leicester city centre a group of around 50 protesters chanted for the resignation of Labour frontbenchers Jon Ashworth and Liz Kendal demanding MP after they abstained from the SNP’s vote.
Labour NEC member Luke Akehurst wrote on social media:”Note how all the aggression online and offline is aimed at Starmer and Labour MPs, rather than the actual government. It’s almost like this is more about far left anger towards Labour than any actual concern about the suffering of Palestinians.”
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