‘Where is the outrage here for Apsana? How does Keir Starmer look at himself in a mirror?’ ‘They know it’s wrong’. Party’s persistent safeguarding failures and enablement of abuse contrast with lengths to protect of white right-wingers
The Labour party has been accused of racism in its treatment of black and Asian women MPs after further revelations about its behaviour toward Poplar and Limehouse MP Apsana Begum – and the stark contrast between the way it has treated Begum and the strident demands of Labour right-wingers to protect white, right-wing women MPs from deselection.
Skwawkbox has previously covered the scandal of Labour’s stitch-up of Begum in the ‘trigger’ ballot process to decide whether she will stand again as a Labour candidate in the next general election. That rigging of the process looks to all intents and purposes like a continuation of the right’s efforts to remove a left-wing woman of colour after its attempt to oust her through the courts by means of trumped-up charges failed humiliatingly when she was rightly acquitted, leaving right-wing staffers skulking away from the courthouse where they had been lurking ready to announce the contest to replace her when, as they expected, she was convicted.
The bullying and intimidation she and other women in the constituency party have faced during the trigger protest have been widely attested by locals, but as Pamela Fitzpatrick revealed during a video interview on the Not the Andrew Marr Show, the scandal goes well beyond that with the party itself abandoning its duty of care despite an intervention by Begum’s domestic violence advocate who said she should not be facing such treatment when she is currently seriously ill.
Some of the other scandals being perpetrated include:
- allowing people closely linked to her ex-husband to run the trigger process – some of whom had already been involved in the now-disgraced attempt to criminalise her
- allowing a Labour official to oversee the process who is the subject of complaints for allegedly defaming Ms Begum about her supposed crime after she had been acquitted
- bullying and intimidation around branch meetings in the trigger process, especially toward ethnic minority women
- treatment of Begum by the party that amounts to an extension of the domestic abuse she has suffered, according to a domestic violence expert
And Fitzpatrick pointed out the grim contrast between the abuse of Apsana Begum and how vocally the same Labour establishment had demanded special protection for white women MPs during triggers for the last general election:
Ms Begum has been admitted to hospital and the pressure can’t have helped, but Labour have consistently ignored requests by her staff to delay the trigger process as well as the calls from the formal domestic violence advocate, instead pursuing Begum’s removal in her absence – and falsely briefing its friendly journalists that there had been no complaints about the process.
Apsana Begum is far from an isolated incident. When Muslim woman MP Zarah Sultana faced foul racist abuse and threats, the party leadership did not even put out a tweet to support or defend her, or even to express disapproval of the way she was being treated.
When black woman MP Claudia Webbe faced criminal trial with no evidence against her apart from the word of the white girlfriend of Webbe’s abusive fiancée – who was proven in court to have lied repeatedly while the Met Police withheld evidence – the party gave her no support whatever and fell over itself in its haste to expel her, despite the obvious injustice of a case that has been condemned by the Society of Black Lawyers as racism and a miscarriage of justice. As a result of the media’s misrepresentation of the case and Labour’s public comments and unnamed briefings to the media against her, Webbe was targeted for murder attempts by men in two separate cases, one of whom went on to kill Tory MP David Amess.
And as Labour’s first black woman MP, Diane Abbott, faced ill health and disgusting racist abuse, right-wing party staff mocked her – and MP Wes Streeting subsequently shouted in her face in a Commons corridor and left witnesses horrified and the ‘disgusting’ and ‘disgraceful’ abuse. Rather than be punished for his conduct, Streeting was promoted to Starmer’s front bench and is now the party’s Shadow Health Secretary and being touted by his allies as the next party leader.
The contrast with the right’s vocal protection of white right-wingers could hardly be more stark, for example Harriet Harman’s 2019 demand that Ellie Reeves should not face a trigger process because Reeves was pregnant, or the demonisation by the right and their media allies of ordinary party members in Wavertree because they wanted to hold a democratic vote on whether they could continue to support Luciana Berger as their MP because they saw her as knowingly undermining the chances of a Labour government – and the pressure put on then-party leader Corbyn to ask them to withdraw the votes. Berger subsequently defected to the farcical and racist-adjacent ‘Change UK’ and then on to the LibDems.
And others in the party who style themselves as leading activists for women’s rights and against domestic violence have similarly been deafening in their silence on the abuse of Apsana Begum – or for that matter noticeably for any of the women MPs of colour so grossly abused.
Compounding the crime
The Labour party and its regional offices, especially in London, have frequently been accused of interfering in party democracy and protecting right-wingers from the consequences of their actions. And last week the party compounded its abuse of Apsana Begum by telling the Mirror newspaper that it takes ‘all complaints of abuse very seriously’ – and then immediately dismissing the abuse toward Begum by snidely adding that branches were voting to get rid of her and that this must be a comment on her performance, as if the allegations of abuse and rigging did not exist when they were in fact the subject of the very Mirror article on which they were being asked to comment.
Skwawkbox view:
Labour insiders and members in Poplar and Limehouse have told Skwawkbox that there is no doubt in their minds that the treatment of Apsana Begum is not only grossly abusive, misogynistic and hypocritical, but that it is a continuation of a fundamental and widespread racism among the Labour right, particularly toward women of colour and Muslim women especially.
This site cannot help but agree with the conclusion.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
What dates are the trigger ballot votes taking place.
It hardly matters. Starmer is a process player – and even if the trigger ballot process were not used against her, he will do a Kashmir-job on her or find a highly irregular procedure to achieve his misogynistic, islamophobic, anti-socialist abuse of her. People like him (show-me-your-papers) are why there will be very few Labour Governments in the future. He repels more people than he attracts.
Starmer’s leadership of Labour is self-harm on a mammoth scale. The best-funded WEF/trilateral commission) suicide-note in history. He makes Pasok seem relevant, radical and exciting and Richard Nixon ethical.
Spot on quertboi what’s a few hundred thousand tons of agent “orange” on the peasants of Cambodia …Laos or Veitnam despite two of them being neutral Cambodia \Laos and not at war with the USA
Tricky Ricky Nixon got away with genocide that kills and cripples familys today including my own family in Cambodia.who happened to be too close to the border of Veitnam \Cambodia .and watched their rice fields covered in chemical weapons of the “secret war” against Cambodia \Laos.who were too poor and defenceless to protect themselves.
Where is it going to end with so many politicians rattling the War drums especially in the west.it doesn’t take a Einstein to see the “end game” ?
Nucluer fall out is not far off with Russia pushed into a corner and they never ever surrender to fascists.
with special forces on the ground in the Ukraine and billions spent attacking Russia in a proxy NATO war….Armageddon is waiting.You can. bet money on the fall out shelters underground are stocked and waiting for the familys of the unelected one percent.whilst you are burning.Its not a matter of if?….its just when.
And it’s NO surprise to see that first up, it’s the gobshite who squeals racist when a right wing turd is merely criticised for shitting on the party’s original purpose.
As I mentioned in the lammy thread. Mr worraboutthecvictim has previously demonstrated his own thinly-veiled racism by making
NO mention of solidarity for Claudia Webbe (but plenty for her alleged ‘victim)
OR for Diane Abbot
OR for Dawn Butler
OR for Marc Wadsworth
OR for Jo Bird
(Not an exhaustive list)
And now here he is, unable to contain his excitement about the potential triggering of Apsana Begum.
Like an overexcited child, asking ‘how many more days to Christmas?’ He simply cannot wait for the process to be put into action.
But be in NO doubt the excuse will be along the lines of…But Jeremy instigated the process and keef made it harder to trigger them
Which is the same shite excuse as the rags use for the proliferation of foodbank reliance, telling us the ONLY reason their use has increased is because the rags tell people of their availability when labour didn’t…
Slime.
Toffee – Wow, what a fertile little imagination you have. How creative of you to extrapolate all that from just nine words plus a question mark. For my part given that we have had a number of articles on this and Labour’s published timetable for the completion of trigger ballots then I am just curious to know if and when these trigger ballots are going to take place.
Are we to take it from all the non-replies and creative distractions that nobody on here actually knows if or when these trigger ballots will take place.
Firstly I’m NOT the one with the fertile little imagination.
YOU however, have CONVINVED yourself that there’s a question mark on the end of your overtly racist-based inquiry/statement of intent. A n atrocious paucity of numerical skills – compounded by your chronic lack punctuation – demonstrates unmistakably that you are close to being bereft of intelligence.
The signature ‘tell’ of just about ALL racists.
And we KNOW just WHY you’re so ‘curious to know if and WHEN these trigger ballots are going to take place’. so don’t try to protest otherwise. Nobody’s buying it. Not with your previous.
Therefore, the choice is yours. You can either carry on and further incriminate yourself, or shut up and stick to being the imbecile you’re universally regarded as.
Toffee – You are right i forgot to end my comment with a question mark, how clever of you to find another straw to clutch on to.
You are the one banging on about race, All I want to know is IF and/or WHEN these trigger ballots are going to take place. All we seem to know for certain at the moment is that Ms Begum may be subjected to a selection process that was introduced by Jeremy Corbyn.
Bore off, racist.
We KNOW what you are.
Toffee – Do you really think that you are qualified to pass judgement on others, Given your performance to date I’d be surprised if you’ve managed to work out where your own arse is yet.
Is it really 🥱
Given your performance to date I’d be surprised if you’ve managed to work out where your own arse is yet
Oh.
I’ll take no lectures from some barely-disguised racist; one who’s incapable of adding a couple of single-digit numbers together without coming up with the answer: ‘moon‘.
Toffee – No lectures, just a simple statement of my opinion on your capabilities.
Screaming Baseless Racism is a tool of the Neo-Labour Party TORIES. The UK Labour Party Shouts, Screams, Blows the Roof off, Smashes the Walls down and Shines the Limelight on Neo-Labour Party Factual Actual Real Racism and the same Neo-Labour Party TORIES who screams Baseless Racism and are the Perpetrators of Actual Racism brushes it off as nothing of any concern.
Oh Noooo The Neo-Labour Party TORIES “are not” the new face of Racist Britain!
Egh, just a speck of dust that!
How sad that millions will still be fooled by the Brand Name “Labour”!
nellyskelly – I very rarely scream anything, you are self evidently the one with a propensity for histrionics.
Oh but, “of course you are right”, deep TORY Right.
nellyskelly – Thanks, it was kind of you to prove my point.
You hear, but you can’t listen!
When you think back to the way the PLP particularly the women rallied round Ruth Smeeth escorting her to the hearing after she alleged Marc Wadsworth , a BAME rights activist ,had used an antisemtic trope against her- she didn’t say he had abused or threatened her in any way – and compare it to the complete silence and total lack of support they have shown Apsana who has suffered vile abuse and mistreatment any reasonable person is forced to conclude that they are motivated by racism against our BAME and Muslim brothers and sisters.Apsans’s socialist politics are another reason for their antipathy towards her.
Well for what its worth Apsana’s case has been featured on
Labour List – with a roughly true account but no details.
Ive been doing my best to put this around as far as I can
in our local party with the addition of one or two facts
– and they are shocked.
Holby.central…it starts with shock and moves on to being normalised and expected.ITs not going to change so carry on ..a few tears and then the questions “why do they make trouble?when it brings misery to our happy membership and our likeable MP..You maybe shocked 😲 but you know that its never going to stop because its not one man or woman its the whole bunch of parasites called the labour party..
Well for what its worth Apsana’s case has been featured on
Labour List – with a roughly true account but no details .
Labour list isn’t worth a carrot. That a certain someone is constantly linking to it is proof enough.
So it’s no surprise you don’t, and won’t, get the full whack off them.
Oh my goodness. The first comment here is the most disgusting comment I’ve ever seen on this site. No further comment on this story from me.
goldbach – Really, for true, or are you in reality just jumping on the latest passing bandwagon of faux outrage?
Others may note like me that it has taken you several hours and a night’s sleep for you to decide how disgusted you are.🤔
Faux outrage…
Yep. He said THAT as well. 🙄
It’s just a shame goldbach can’t monitor the site for almost 24 hours a day, like the wee racist. Otherwise goldbach could’ve been spared the ‘You took your time to decide’ tripe.
Yes, he actually accused someone of taking their time to be disgusted with his overtly racist attitude.
You can’t make this up.
But wee stevie’s the victim here. Bank on it.
Toffee – Oh dear you really desperate aren’t you. I have just pointed out a simple fact.
qwertboi commented without a trace of personal disgust last-night and then several hours later and after a night’s sleep suddenly jumped on the bandwagon and decided that my simple straight forward request for further info was “the most disgusting comment I’ve ever seen on this site”. It would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.
I am sure there is someone out there that will be impressed by your analysis. Keep up the good work.
Wee fellas ecstatic with a scraped through win in Wakefield…don’t worry the new normal will be resumed as soon as possible…..I am not surprised that the labour party attracts the lowest level of depravity and racism…..just look at the knight of the realm and see how far a reject can get with joining the labour party in 2015 and leader five years later.Desperate measures desperate labour party.
Well Said I Couldnt Agree More..What a Vile little man..
Oh dear another shallow individual jumping on a passing bandwagon.
It’s NO passing bandwagon plums.
People hate you as much as they hate other racists. And have done since loooong before you arrived to spout your poisonous tripe.
Toffee – Of course I’m pleased that Labour did well in Wakefield but your description of me being ecstatic is more than a little over the top. Are we to take it that you would have been ecstatic if the Conservatives had won.
…And now you’re using my name in reply to Joseph.
#Rattled. 😏
PS. If you’re asking me – Then, no – I wouldn’t have been remotely arsed had the rags held wakefield. They more or less HAVE held the seat because there’s no difference whoever gets in…Is there?
If so, what is it? You think there is, but are reluctant to say what it is/ they are. You might as well tell us because you’re the subject of universal ridicule anyway.
Toffee – Am I rattled, well not really, what do I have to be rattled about.
Is that addressed to me – or Joseph – or someone else?
Hard to tell.
Only if you are a challenged individual
None more challenged than you, who is persistently ridiculed on each and every thread, from each, and each & every poster at one point or another.
Can’t count. Can’t punctuate. Can’t even lie convincingly… Face it lad, you’re shite at everything. A case in point for the eugenicists.
Toffee – …and yet here you are again still trying to explain and justify yourself to me.🤔