The right-wing media and Labour’s opponents have been pushing a story that Liverpool Wavertree MP Luciana Berger has required police protection in Labour’s conference in Liverpool this week. The claim has been that this is a sad commentary on the state of the Labour Party and that this supports claims that the party is antisemitic.
This was also picked up by the broadcast media. Channel 4’s Jon Snow, who’d normally know to check facts before making an issue of something, pushed the point during a televised interview with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn:
But it is entirely untrue. Ms Berger has been seen – and snapped – on numerous occasions in and around the conference with no sign of any protection in sight:
Getty Images also captured an image of her on the conference grounds without company. The image has not been reproduced here for copyright reasons.
A statement by Merseyside Police on the matter has left room for speculation, because it specifies that she has had no armed protection, but the ‘MSM’ images that claim to show her protection involve uniformed police in bright ‘high-vis’ jackets rather than armed officers:
Merseyside Police has not provided Wavertree MP Luciana Berger with armed protection officers. The force has a highly visible policing operation in place for the duration of the conference. We are continually assessing risk and as a result we have given some additional support to a number of people attending the conference.
The statement also mentions ‘additional support to a number of people’.
The SKWAWKBOX called Merseyside Police to clarify the matter and was told that there has been no special protection detail for Ms Berger, armed or otherwise – and also that there has been no Met Police presence with her during the conference.
However, it does appear that she has been one of the ‘number of people’ receiving ‘additional support’.
SKWAWKBOX editor Steve Walker was near the north exit of the conference yesterday lunchtime when Ms Berger happened to walk by on her way out of the secured conference zone. She approached the exit without any company other than a colleague, but two uniformed officers in high-vis jackets did then fall into place in front of and behind her.
As she left.
In other words, Ms Berger has required no protection in the Conference, but appears to have been allocated a couple of officers to walk out with her and presumably accompany her to her transport.
Not that the picture Jon Snow showed to Jeremy Corbyn shows Ms Berger and an officer outside the conference perimeter, in Liverpool’s famous dock area:
Rather than protection from Labour members, as claimed by the media and by Corbyn’s opponents, she has been considered safe in the conference.
Luciana Berger has indeed been the target of threats and abuse. However, of what has become public the threats have been by antisemitic right-wingers such as John Nimmo, the man who was jailed for such threats in early 2017.
That Ms Berger has felt she needed protection is awful and no MP, Jewish or otherwise, should be in such a position – but the facts suggest that the one place Ms Berger felt she did not need protection was in Labour’s conference.
The very opposite of the claims made by dishonest media and echoed by those who believed them.
The SKWAWKBOX asked Ms Berger on Monday why she had not put the record straight. No response has been received.
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It’s really sad that a Jewish MP will not make fellow Jewish people feel more safe by admitting that the abuse she has received has come from mentally ill people outside of the party. If you genuinely care about people’s welfare, you make them feel better not worse and you would want Jewish people to be members of the most anti-racist party in parliament – the Labour Party, not try to make them feel like they want to leave. When I heard about what she had been through with right wing nut cases I felt sorry for her – nobody should have to put up with that. No Jewish person in the party should feel unsafe. It is the lies being told that is making people feel unsafe and that is unforgivable.
Sorry, what’s the basis for your claim that the abuse that Berger has received was from somebody who’s mentally ill? Can you please not make such ablist statements equating violent behaviour with mental illness.
Hullo Kate. Great post. I’ve been reading about her case. Indeed it was vile and threatening. Having come through this horrible episode, surely, every time she meets Ms Abbott, she should hug her? Best wishes, John
Jon Snow has his own agenda.
What is it, though,and why?
Follow the money. Katz does not allow journalism.
Eh? Katz???
Forgive my ignorance. Please explain.
Is it too much to ask for people to do the right thing? To be decent people? Is it too much to ask the media to report the truth, or to even care about reporting the truth?
John Snow..! What happened to fearless investigative journalism?
Where was the media outrage for Diane Abbott when she received vile racist and misogynistic harassment? Did she receive a police escort?
British parliamentary politics is being driven by bullies dressed in victimhood.
Just seen Corbyns closing speech Brilliantly put and covering AS/racism and welcoming all Jews and races to the party.Fantastic especially the commitment to recognise Palestine
I think Labour should buy or acquire an option on land in East Jerusalem and erect on it a large hoarding stating that it’s the proposed site of the future British Embassy to Palestine, building to commence as soon as statehood is won.
Do the same in West Jerusalem for the future British Embassy to Israel, ground to be broken on both sites simultaneously or not at all.
The more derelict/shot up either sign becomes the more eloquent the statement.
David, on the face of it, your idea is excellent but it will never happen and nor should it.
Labour’s promise to recognise a Palestinian State, I’m sorry to say, is meaningless and they know it. It sounds good but has absolutely no validity or practicality. The ‘two state ship’ sailed years ago. Labour, just like the Labour friends of Israel, is being disingenuous by saying they support a two state solution. It will NEVER EVER happen.
The ONLY viable solution is a ONE state solution as was eventually established in South Africa. There are good people on both sides and they should be encouraged and helped to establish a single State where people of all religions and none can live and work together in peace.
Jack, it seems to me that the Palestinians now feel as the Mizrahi Jews once did when they were humiliated and oppressed as Dhimmi throughout the Muslim world.
That’s a high hurdle.
Both sides have some claim to the land and to being the injured party.
One state or two, neither will bring lasting peace in the absence of goodwill.
I can only imagine a GENEROUS solution, imposed if necessary, agreed by, financed by and guaranteed by the rest of the world including Israel’s neighbours – having a chance of working.
It may even require the purchase of land for the dispossessed from neighbouring countries.
Massively expensive yes, but not so expensive as leaving the Middle East to fester.
Israel might agree – if the alternative was withdrawal of US support – to part with land they’d struggle to hold without that support.
SA was so completely different that the two cases don’t bear comparison in my opinion – there having been not the least doubt which side had to make amends and earn the forgiveness of the other – and which side had the far harder job of doing the forgiving.
I’m often wrong though, as you know 🙂
David, you make some valid points which are worth exploring but because there are so many myths and so much double standard involved it needs lengthy examination.
When you say “Both sides have some claim to the land and to being the injured party” it’s important to recognise who the ‘both sides’ are. In my opinion, they are the indigenous Jews and Arabs and not the European Zionists who decided that Palestine would be an ideal place to colonise.
Because they are now there in their millions, Zionists do have to be taken into account but we need to be clear that their claim to the land is far far weaker than those who were displaced by them with brutal force in the first place.
Jack, I read this once a year or two ago and again last week.
It seems Haaretz allows articles to be read once and then a paywall goes up – unfortunate imo when the content becoming more widely read might alter some anti-Semites’ beliefs.
I’ve made no attempt to confirm the truth of it but there’s much I hadn’t previously known about the historic treatment of Jews by Muslim governments. I hope the link works.
https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium-the-inconvenient-truth-about-jews-from-arab-lands-1.5250159
The Mail on Sunday should be challenged on this as well.
W the absolute F is ‘additional support’ ?
Making sure plod’s seen with berger anywhere where there’s a papparazi opportunity for berger to let the dregs of the journalism industry spin their total bullshit about, and further berger’s anti-Corbyn, anti-socialist agenda, for her and the rest of the hysterical beauts?
F**k sake. Get rid of berger, Wavertree. Then make sure to get shut of the odious kennedy at the pcc elections next time around.
Berger had plenty to say about Jeremy Corbyn and the rest of Labour but now her big mouth appears to be firmly shut. The only protection she needs is a muzzle. just in case she and her sidekicks get the urge to spew lies designed to hurt people deeply and finish their careers. A nasty piece of work that needs to go ASAP.
If berger’s looking for refuge from all these perceived threats, she could always stay at Merseyside police commissioner jane kennedy’s house – like she did during the selection process that saw her imposed on the people of Wavertree.
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-labour-candidate-luciana-berger-3430035
Oh and I wouldn’t bother asking kennedy anything about it. We’re still waiting for her retraction over #brickgate when she went all miss marple within minutes of the ‘story’ breaking.
So there’s no hope of a fellow friend of israel spilling anything that might blow their cover….
It’s about time berger had complaints fired in to the party about the ‘complete lack of teamwork’ .
But it must be because berger likes to ‘stick to the script’
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-23031892
Looks more like an entrance ,If you saw Dianne Abbot at the conference and the two burly guys in t shirts next to her and at her side ,that indicates more what real security looks like.
Yes I saw the guys to , and wondered about it , I think they may have been FBU guys but not sure if they were there as actual body guards.
Berger was as usual grandstanding for effect and making political points at the partys cost , just the same as the Ruth Smeeth possey in London .( met some fantastic folks from JVL restored my faith in justice and fair mindedness )
Anyway onwards now to better things conference was great and these MPs can be pushed out of the way and replaced as we prep for Govt .
30% is the magic number to aim for.
Snow’s a daft old fool – she’s clearly stalking that copper.
Any chance of Berger being deselected? Merseyside seems to have quite a lot of these Corbyn hating Zionist MPs!
Whilst I fully support convictions for ANY form of racism, I’m also a fan of fairness! Diane Abbott has faced decades of racist behaviour but this is somehow acceptable or has never made it into the mainstream media. I feel along with many of you that this “stunt” was more about undermining the “new/old” Labour Party and the twice overwhelmingly elected leader than any “threats” received! YIU