Lee Anderson is not one of life’s diplomats. A brash ex-Nottinghamshire miner, the Tory MP for Ashfield wades into sensitive debates with all the subtlety of a flying mallet.
Subjects of his ire have included the ‘culturally Marxist’ National Trust, footballers who take the knee to Black Lives Matter, and trans-extremism.
His language is never less than salty, and so it was with his latest target, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who he accuses of ceding control to Islamists.
The words were clumsy and, as a result, Mr Anderson has had the Conservative whip suspended. But the sentiment behind them – that pro-Palestinian demonstrators are spreading hate and division on our streets with virtual impunity – has struck a chord with many.
Despite the formal rebuke, messages of support are said to have flooded into the inboxes of Tory MPs, especially those representing Northern ‘Red Wall’ constituencies in Labour’s former heartlands.
Lee Anderson is not one of life’s diplomats. A brash ex-Nottinghamshire miner, the Tory MP for Ashfield wades into sensitive debates with all the subtlety of a flying mallet
In the latest insanity, the proprietor of a chicken shop in Bradford was assaulted with sticks by Islamist protesters for selling Coca Cola , which they claim supports Israel.
Reform party leader Richard Tice went further. ‘The truth is that Lee speaks for millions,’ he said. So, are those people ‘Islamophobes’? Or are they simply worried about the future of our democracy.
The police and politicians, including Sadiq Khan (who is also London’s police and crime commissioner), have tolerated flagrant displays of racism for far too long.
Their impotence has emboldened the militants and legitimate protest over the heart-rending Gaza tragedy has turned to violence and intimidation.
MPs harangued at their homes and jostled in public, Big Ben lit up with an anti-Semitic slogan, a Parliamentary vote manipulated by safety fears.
In the latest insanity, the proprietor of a chicken shop in Bradford was assaulted with sticks by Islamist protesters for selling Coca Cola, which they claim supports Israel.
The company is not boycotted in Gaza, where it provides employment as well as refreshment, yet these morons think it should be banned in Bradford. That is not just unacceptable, it’s profoundly stupid.
This feels like a signal moment, politically and culturally. We can either appease those who despise our pluralistic and tolerant society. Or we can face them down.
This applies not only to Islamists but also eco-zealots who bring the country to a halt, the strident trans lobby and all those who seek to crush free expression.
Labour has not yet made its choice. The party was under intense pressure last week over the anti-Semitism in its own ranks, so Mr Anderson’s comments came as a godsend.
His language is never less than salty, and so it was with his latest target, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who he accuses of ceding control to Islamists
Last week the Speaker was persuaded to rip up Parliamentary procedure to protect MPs from reprisals by pro-Palestinian demonstrators (Pictured: Protesters outside Parliament last week)
They were immediately condemned as ‘Islamophobic’ and redolent of the ‘far-Right’. But there are dangers in this approach.
How can Labour MPs demand police protection from the Islamist extremists hounding them to their homes, whilst simultaneously suggesting the threat is being wildly exaggerated by the Right?
Last week the Speaker was persuaded to rip up Parliamentary procedure to protect MPs from reprisals by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. This was another dangerous precedent. Giving in to bullies only encourages them.
It’s much easier to attack Lee Anderson than to address the substantive point – that threats of violence from Islamist thugs are in danger of distorting the democratic process and undermining society.
People must be allowed to criticise this sinister culture of mob rule without being shouted down as racists and Islamophobes.
Equally, countless Londoners believe Sadiq Khan has been a lamentable mayor. Will they now be tarred with the brush of racism any time they criticise him?
In an ideal world this would not be a party-political issue. Sadly, Labour is so pathologically tribal it is incapable of any sort of joint approach.
But unless all parties do unite to denounce and combat violence and bigotry, it will grow and spread like a virus. We are at a watershed.