Yvette Cooper condemns intimidation of Labour candidates by pro-Palestine activists
Polls show that despite calls for bloc anti-Labour Gaza protest vote, 58% of UK Muslims still intend to back Keir Starmer
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Labour’s Yvette Cooper has condemned the harassment of Labour candidates and canvassers by activists claiming to support the Palestinian cause.
The shadow home secretary spoke out about “intimidation, abuse and harassment” as online social media clips from areas including Bethnal Green in east London and Birmingham’s Ladywood district showed Labour candidates being followed and taunted by pro-Palestine campaigners.
Labour’s Shabana Mahmood reportedly called in police on two occasions over the weekend to complain about being harassed while out canvassing.
Rushanara Ali, Labour’s candidate in Bethnal Green, east London, was filmed being harrassed by activist, while another online image showed a fake Labour leaflet depicting her with devil horns.
Labour’s candidate in Dewsbury and Batley Heather Iqbal posted on X: “The intimation and abuse during this campaign has moved up another level.”Thank you to the many Labour activists who are keeping on canvassing regardless. If anything happens please contact my office and we’ll continue to report incidents to the police.”
At the start of the election campaign the Chingford and Woodford Green Labour HQ was targeted by anti-Israel campaigners, after Shama Tatler was confirmed as the party’s candidate in the north east London seat.
In a statement, the shadow home secretary Cooper said: “We cannot allow intimidation, abuse and harassment of candidates or volunteers to undermine our democracy. People can debate and disagree in a serious way without disgraceful intimidation or threats that damage communities. Everybody must be able to take part in our democratic processes free from fear, intimidation or abuse.”
The Guardian reported that in Bethnal Green, Labour canvassers said they were confronted by people who shouted: “You are Rushanara’s slave. You’re a f**** disgrace.”
In Birmingham a teenage Labour canvasser was reported to have been told by a rival’s supporter she would “never wash off the blood of dead Gazan children”.
In Rochdale, activists for the group Hope Not Hate said they had been harassed by people in cars while campaigning against George Galloway’s re-election as an MP.
Nick Lowles, the chief executive of Hope Not Hate, said: “We have been alarmed at the targeting of, particularly, women candidates, and particularly Muslim women candidates. Several candidates have been subject to abusive and threatening behaviour.”
Despite attempts by groups such as The Muslim Vote to force a united rebellion against Starmer within the UK community, repeated polls have shown the Labour vote holding up.
A British Muslim Voting intention with the Community Exchange Hub on Tuesday had Labour well head on 58%, with support for both other/independent candidates on 12% and the Greens on 10%.
The FT reported that Labour is telling activists to stay and campaign in 31 Labour-held seats that it already holds, 23 of which have Muslim populations of more than 10 per cent.
The party is also deploying activists from out of town to campaign in two seats that it won in 2019 — one of which is Oldham East and Saddleworth, which is 21 per cent Muslim.
Naz Shah, standing in Bradford West, used noticeably harder language on Israel ahead of the election, vowing to lobby Keir Starmer over ending UK arms sales if he wins general election.
But in a sign that not all seats with sizeable Muslim populations are deemed to be at risk, the party is not actively deploying any new activists in shadow health secretary Wes Streeting’s constituency of Ilford North.
A Labour source said the party was “a diverse and proud community” and “we are working tirelessly to win the trust of voters across the country”.
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