https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/07/09/islamist-intimidation-is-poisoning-our-politics/
This election showed how urgent it is that we fight back to preserve our civic and democratic values
The intimidation started on the streets. On October 7, as Jewish families were being butchered by Hamas terrorists, Islamists celebrated in London. They danced with joy and flew Palestinian flags from car windows. A large group cheered and set off fireworks. No Jew could feel entirely safe anywhere near these celebrations of a racist massacre.
The regular pro-Palestine marches have also been poisoned by Islamist intimidation that does not represent the values of the wider Muslim community. Alongside peaceful protesters, there have been those who have proudly worn Hamas insignia, called loudly for the destruction of the State of Israel, repeated genocidal chants, and ripped down posters of kidnapped children.
Many Jewish people have felt that their freedom of movement has been curtailed during these marches, while others have taken steps to protect themselves from the assaults and racial intimidation that have inexorably increased since Hamas set out to kill as many Jews as possible last October.
Now the intimidation has moved from the streets to the ballot box. We got a taste of this in May during the local elections, when the victorious Green Party councillor Mothin Ali described the evening as a “win for the people of Gaza”. Elsewhere, Mr Ali had described a Jewish chaplain at Leeds University as a “kind of animal”.
But the situation deteriorated further during the general election campaign. Jess Phillips MP used her election night victory speech to describe the abuse and intimidation she, her team and her constituents experienced in recent weeks. Campaign activists faced intense harassment, with the intimidation focused particularly on women. “In my constituency, the humiliation was by men, to women,” Ms Phillips explained. We should not be surprised that aggressive misogyny is part of the Islamist political playbook.
Ms Phillips was not alone. Shabana Mahmood MP described an election campaign that “was sullied by harassment and intimidation” of her family and campaigners, calling the behaviour an “assault on democracy itself”. Ms Mahmood cited a community meeting that was disrupted by masked men, “terrifying” those in attendance, and was forced to respond to opponents who branded her “an infidel”.
It is reasonable to question why some campaigning to become MPs at this general election seemed to make Gaza their sole focus. No other issues apparently mattered enough to become part of their political platform, not even the challenges faced by other Muslim communities around the world, such as the Uyghurs in China or the Muslim minority in Myanmar. It seems that only the war against the Jewish state can provide sufficient motivation for these candidates to stand for Parliament.
Yet while democracy means that people can legitimately campaign on a single issue if they want to, what is entirely unacceptable is the way this campaigning has been conducted. It falls disturbingly short of the standards we must expect from those seeking to take positions of responsibility or power within our society.
A peaceful democracy depends on the maintenance of certain conditions and behaviours. These include allowing MPs to go about their business safe from intimidation and threats, freedom of movement without fear for all members of society, and a zero tolerance approach to racism and misogyny.
Sir Keir Starmer has a weighty in-tray as Prime Minister. There are many calls on his attention. But Sir Keir must take the earliest possible opportunity to condemn the extremist behaviour that has sullied this election.
He must say in no uncertain terms that MPs and their teams must be allowed to go about their work as our elected representatives in an environment free from fear and intimidation.
Beyond this, we must all take note of this growing threat to the democratic and civil values that we hold so dear. It is not just Jews who must be aware of the threat of Islamism. Any movement that is defined by intolerance, sexism and prejudice is a danger to us all and should be treated as such by everyone who wants to preserve a free and peaceful society.
This election showed how urgent it is that we fight back to preserve our civic and democratic values
The intimidation started on the streets. On October 7, as Jewish families were being butchered by Hamas terrorists, Islamists celebrated in London. They danced with joy and flew Palestinian flags from car windows. A large group cheered and set off fireworks. No Jew could feel entirely safe anywhere near these celebrations of a racist massacre.
The regular pro-Palestine marches have also been poisoned by Islamist intimidation that does not represent the values of the wider Muslim community. Alongside peaceful protesters, there have been those who have proudly worn Hamas insignia, called loudly for the destruction of the State of Israel, repeated genocidal chants, and ripped down posters of kidnapped children.
Many Jewish people have felt that their freedom of movement has been curtailed during these marches, while others have taken steps to protect themselves from the assaults and racial intimidation that have inexorably increased since Hamas set out to kill as many Jews as possible last October.
Now the intimidation has moved from the streets to the ballot box. We got a taste of this in May during the local elections, when the victorious Green Party councillor Mothin Ali described the evening as a “win for the people of Gaza”. Elsewhere, Mr Ali had described a Jewish chaplain at Leeds University as a “kind of animal”.
But the situation deteriorated further during the general election campaign. Jess Phillips MP used her election night victory speech to describe the abuse and intimidation she, her team and her constituents experienced in recent weeks. Campaign activists faced intense harassment, with the intimidation focused particularly on women. “In my constituency, the humiliation was by men, to women,” Ms Phillips explained. We should not be surprised that aggressive misogyny is part of the Islamist political playbook.
Ms Phillips was not alone. Shabana Mahmood MP described an election campaign that “was sullied by harassment and intimidation” of her family and campaigners, calling the behaviour an “assault on democracy itself”. Ms Mahmood cited a community meeting that was disrupted by masked men, “terrifying” those in attendance, and was forced to respond to opponents who branded her “an infidel”.
It is reasonable to question why some campaigning to become MPs at this general election seemed to make Gaza their sole focus. No other issues apparently mattered enough to become part of their political platform, not even the challenges faced by other Muslim communities around the world, such as the Uyghurs in China or the Muslim minority in Myanmar. It seems that only the war against the Jewish state can provide sufficient motivation for these candidates to stand for Parliament.
Yet while democracy means that people can legitimately campaign on a single issue if they want to, what is entirely unacceptable is the way this campaigning has been conducted. It falls disturbingly short of the standards we must expect from those seeking to take positions of responsibility or power within our society.
A peaceful democracy depends on the maintenance of certain conditions and behaviours. These include allowing MPs to go about their business safe from intimidation and threats, freedom of movement without fear for all members of society, and a zero tolerance approach to racism and misogyny.
Sir Keir Starmer has a weighty in-tray as Prime Minister. There are many calls on his attention. But Sir Keir must take the earliest possible opportunity to condemn the extremist behaviour that has sullied this election.
He must say in no uncertain terms that MPs and their teams must be allowed to go about their work as our elected representatives in an environment free from fear and intimidation.
Beyond this, we must all take note of this growing threat to the democratic and civil values that we hold so dear. It is not just Jews who must be aware of the threat of Islamism. Any movement that is defined by intolerance, sexism and prejudice is a danger to us all and should be treated as such by everyone who wants to preserve a free and peaceful society.
