OPINION: An attack on one MP is an attack on our democratic system 

After years of service to people in North London and to our community, Mike Freer’s announcement that he will be stepping down at the next general election has shocked me and many others.
 
In 2015, I ran against Mike to be the MP for Finchley and Golders Green.

I remember us jousting at hustings and community events. While we have different political views, we knew how to disagree with civility. 

In his statement last week, he cited repeated death threats and security concerns, adding that that his fears have extended to his family.

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It is deeply chilling that the threats and abuse have, in part, been motivated by his support for the Jewish community and for Israel. 

That he feels this way is troubling not just for Mike personally, but for what it says about the state of our public life and our democracy.

 
As we know from the terrible murders of MPs Sir David Amess and Jo Cox, being an elected politician puts you at risk.

Their murders showed that the threat comes from no one part of the political spectrum: David was murdered by an Islamist, Jo by a far- right extremist. 

Politicians expect scrutiny, criticism and protest. We go into it with our eyes open.

But violent threats and intimidation of any politician represent an attack on our democracy. 

I absolutely respect Mike’s decision. But we should have been able to face each other at the polls on our policies and our individual merits.

Instead, politics is now skewed by violent language, hate and the worst excesses of social media. 

I saw first-hand the way in which the brave Jewish women parliamentarians who fought against antisemitism in the Labour Party, such as Luciana Berger and Dame Margaret Hodge, faced horrendous – even criminal – abuse and threats to their lives. 

We must never accept this as the cost of standing up for the Jewish community and being visibly Jewish in the political sphere. 

That is why it remains so important that we take action so that people across our community can still feel empowered to put themselves forward into public life. 

Despite the abuse that I and many others receive, online and in person, I still believe in politics.

I believe in its power to make the world better and to give people a voice to shape the society they want to see – something that is needed now more than ever. 

These things matter, especially in an election year.  

Friends from abroad have often remarked to me on the accessibility of British politicians: from knocking on doors to holding constituents’ surgeries.

I don’t want to see us lose that part of our political culture. But if we value our democracy, then we have to actively protect it.  
 
Mike’s resignation is a wake-up call. All parties need to come together to ensure the safety of our politicians and our democracy. 

We must seek cross-party agreement to ensure the security of politicians and their staff.  

We must hold to account social media giants that give a platform to extremist content.  

And we should consider creating a specific offence for threatening or harming an elected public official.

It’s remarkable that no such crime exists unless the threat is to the King or his heir.

The creation of a particular offence, with tougher sentences against those who threaten or attack politicians, would reflect the fact that threats to a politician do not just harm the individual, they harm our entire democratic system. 

Finally, we should recommit to calling out the sort of hate speech that incites violence and hate in others – on all sides. We should all think carefully about how language affects not just the tone of debate, but the safety of others. 

The stakes are high for anyone willing to speak up for what they believe in. But I am determined for this to change.  

Sarah Sackman is a Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Finchley and Golders Green.