Racism

Diane Abbott accuses Tories AND Labour of ‘shocking’ racism in donor row

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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/diane-abbott-labour-tory-donor-racism-b2512086.html

Diane Abbott has hit out at the Conservatives and Labour, accusing both parties of “shocking” racism in the Tory donor scandal.

The MP, who sits as an independent and was dragged into the centre of the race row, turned her fire on Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak after the pair clashed over the issue at PMQs on Wednesday.

Mr Sunak has refused to hand back a £10m donation from businessman Frank Hester after he allegedly said Ms Abbott made him “want to hate all Black women” and that she should be “shot”.

Writing in The Independent, Britain’s longest-serving Black MP described his words as “outrageously racist and sexist” and added: “I am afraid long-term experience teaches me that the Tory party has long been a source of whipping up racism in this country, including directed at me personally.”

Abbott has attacked Starmer and Labour over racism in the party (Getty)

She also attacked Sir Keir and said: “The position of the current leadership of the Labour Party is disappointing, which seemed equally reluctant at the outset to call out either racism or sexism.

“Instead, the entire focus was on the demand that the Tories give Hester back his money, which is surely not the primary point in this case.”

Ms Abbott, who was a Labour MP for more than three decades until she was suspended last year, said her former party had initially failed to label Mr Hester’s alleged comments against her as racist and sexist.

She went on to condemn the “shocking levels of racism and sexism from within the Labour Party, again much of it directed against me personally”.

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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/diane-abbott-labour-tory-donor-racism-b2512086.html

Continue ReadingDiane Abbott accuses Tories AND Labour of ‘shocking’ racism in donor row

Morning Star: Rishi Sunak must answer for the abuse endured by Diane Abbott — but so must Keir Starmer

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/e/sunak-and-starmer-must-answer-abuse-abbott

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak walk through the Peer’s Lobby at the Palace of Westminster ahead of the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords, London, November 6, 2023

THE sickening racist abuse directed at Diane Abbott by top Tory donor Frank Hester represents a challenge to the leaders of both the major political parties.

Hester, who has given the Conservative Party £10 million over the last year, told a meeting in 2019 that looking at the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington made him “want to hate all black women” and added for good measure that Abbott “should be shot.”

Such remarks should be enough to immediately terminate anybody’s involvement in public life, and they may indeed constitute a criminal offence.

Hester was speaking, remember, just three years after a Labour MP, Jo Cox, was indeed shot to death by a far-right fanatic.

Everyone should first of all send their unqualified solidarity to Abbott, long the victim of more racist and misogynistic abuse than any other MP.

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Racism is a bipartisan problem. And it is reinforced by Starmer’s own treatment of Abbott.

She has been suspended from the Labour whip in Parliament for nearly a year now. Her offence was to write a newspaper letter suggesting Jewish people, among others, had not suffered from racism.

Her letter was clearly wrong and she immediately and fulsomely apologised for it. Since then her case has been “under investigation.”

Yet it is unclear what there is to investigate. There can be no possible reason for leaving her in political suspense for such a protracted period over what is a fairly straightforward issue.

The reason for this procrastination is obvious: because Abbott has spent her life on the left of the Labour Party, and served in senior roles under Jeremy Corbyn, he wants rid of her.

If she remains whipless when the next general election is called then she will be unable to stand as a Labour candidate, allowing some gormless Starmerite or other to be imposed on Hackney North.

Abbott is Britain’s first black woman MP, and its longest-serving black MP too. For her to be treated like this ought to be a source of national shame.

It is past time that the phoney “investigation” into her was terminated and the whip restored.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/e/sunak-and-starmer-must-answer-abuse-abbott

Continue ReadingMorning Star: Rishi Sunak must answer for the abuse endured by Diane Abbott — but so must Keir Starmer

Greens respond to Frank Hester’s remarks on Diane Abbott

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The Green Party has accused the Conservative Party of being funded by racists and have challenged them to donate the £10m received from Frank Hester to anti-racism and domestic violence charities. 

Green Party spokesperson for Policing and Domestic Safety, Amanda Onwuemene
Green Party spokesperson for Policing and Domestic Safety, Amanda Onwuemene

Green Party spokesperson for Policing and Domestic Safety, Amanda Onwuemene, said: 

“It’s clear that racists are funding the Tory Party to the tune of millions of pounds. No wonder they fail to call this out for what it is – a vile racist and misogynist attack on a woman who made history by becoming Britain’s first Black woman MP and who has had a remarkable political career.  

“The Green Party stands in solidarity with Diane Abbott and all Black women. Nobody should have to face the abuse and threats she is subject to.  

“Labour wants the Conservative Party to return the £10m donation – to a man guilty of racism and misogyny. As Greens we challenge the Conservative Party to donate the sum it has received from Hester to some of the many anti-racism and domestic violence campaigns around the country that are doing such valuable work. That would demonstrate the Tories are genuinely concerned about fighting racism and misogyny.” 

Continue ReadingGreens respond to Frank Hester’s remarks on Diane Abbott

The different standards applied to Antisemitism and Islamaphobia in contemporary UK racist discourse

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Lee Anderson and Rishi Sunak. Anderson makes more antisemitic remarks to highlight the double standard of antisemitism and Islamaphobia. Sadik Khan's remarks coming soon ;)
Lee Anderson and Rishi Sunak. Anderson makes more antisemitic remarks to highlight the double standard of antisemitism and Islamaphobia. Sadik Khan’s remarks coming soon ;)
Parody remarks attributed to Sadiq Khan highlights the double standard applied to Antisemitism and Islamaphobia.
Parody remarks attributed to Sadiq Khan highlights the double standard applied to Antisemitism and Islamaphobia.
Continue ReadingThe different standards applied to Antisemitism and Islamaphobia in contemporary UK racist discourse

I’m still reeling from Rishi Sunak’s shameless, dangerous speech

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Caroline Lucas

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/03/sunak-speech-protest-tories-friday-no-10-caroline-lucas

Rishi Sunak giving a press conference outside No 10 on 1 March 2024. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

The prime minister’s address on Friday was a masterclass in gaslighting and made a new art form of rank hypocrisy

“We must face down the extremists who would tear us apart,” Sunak declared to the country on Friday evening. And perhaps never were truer words spoken – at least not by this morally bankrupt prime minister, who is rapidly proving to be one of the most dangerously irresponsible leaders this country has ever faced.

I am still in disbelief at the sheer chutzpah of Sunak wheeling out the No 10 lectern and calling on the whole nation to tune in to an emergency address. Because what came next was not the announcement of a major natural disaster or attack. It wasn’t, as we saw from other world leaders that day, a condemnation of open gunfire against starving people trying to reach aid trucks in Gaza, or a statement of solidarity with Russian protesters against Putin. It wasn’t even the calling of an election.

Instead, what Britain got was a masterclass in gaslighting. Sunak’s performance made a new art form of rank hypocrisy, as he pretended not to know that the very extremism he criticised was being actively driven by his party and peddled in his speech.

Caroline Lucas Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion. Official image by David Woolfall Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
Caroline Lucas Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion. Official image by David Woolfall Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

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By choosing to give that inflammatory speech, Sunak has shown that he is prepared to lurch even further to the right in a bid to stop defections to the Reform UK party. The mask has well and truly slipped: this was yet another step in the culture war right from the very top. The hard right of his party will have been overjoyed to see Sunak the strongman, cracking down on dissent, stifling protest and taking aim at immigrants and Muslims.

Ultimately, that speech was a dark moment in British politics. Democracy is indeed under threat from extremists. The problem is, they’re running the government itself – and we need to wake up and stand up to the seriousness of the threat that they pose.

  • Caroline Lucas is the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/03/sunak-speech-protest-tories-friday-no-10-caroline-lucas

Response to Rishi Sunak's extremism speech at Downing Street 1 March 2024. Second version of this image with text slightly altered.
Response to Rishi Sunak’s extremism speech at Downing Street 1 March 2024. Second version of this image with text slightly altered.

Sunak’s extremism speech 1 to 5

Continue ReadingI’m still reeling from Rishi Sunak’s shameless, dangerous speech