Diane Abbott has alleged that the Conservatives are utilizing the “race card” in the upcoming election, stating that the mistreatment she experienced from Conservative donor Frank Hester exemplifies this tactic.
According to an article in The Guardian, the experienced politician expressed being both saddened and unsurprised by Hester’s comments, as she often receives racist attacks. In a meeting in 2019, Hester stated that while he does not dislike all black women, seeing Abbott on television makes him feel like he wants to harbor hate towards all of them. He also made a statement about her being deserving of harm.
Abbot, the United Kingdom’s MP with the longest tenure as a person of color, is currently serving as an independent after being removed from the Labour party last year. She stated that she believes that the Labour party should also apologize for the offensive remarks made about her in internal party communications.
Abbott expressed disapproval towards Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle for not reaching out to her during Wednesday’s prime minister’s questions, following the discussion between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer regarding Hester’s remarks.
Hester stated that she has become accustomed to dealing with racist mistreatment. She explained, “I receive numerous hateful emails, phone calls, and letters every month, especially when I am in the public eye.”
Abbott expressed that a significant portion of the criticism she receives focuses on her appearance and calls into question her intelligence. She also noted that she often hears stereotypical and discriminatory statements like “Go back to where you come from.”
She stated: “However, with the upcoming election, and Labour maintaining a 20-point lead in the polls, the Conservatives are becoming increasingly desperate. Their key tactic has always been promoting low taxes and effective economic management.”
Liz Truss shattered any notion of the Conservative party’s economic superiority, with taxes now reaching a historically high sustained level. Their last resort is playing the race card, which they will do without hesitation.
According to Abbott, policies such as the Rwanda deportation program for refugees and Conservative concerns about extremism were indications of this sentiment. She also mentioned that while it is in part directed towards left-wing individuals, it is often used as a coded phrase for Muslims.
Abbott stated that the Metropolitan police has been equitable in their approach to pro-Palestine protests in London. However, she notes that the Conservative party’s anti-Islam rhetoric compels them to criticize the actions of law enforcement, which is an uncommon stance for them.
Abbott stated that she had not been apologized to by the Labour party, despite a report from Martin Forde QC in 2022 concluding that she had faced verbal abuse in private WhatsApp conversations among party members who opposed Jeremy Corbyn. The messages revealed instances of racism and sexism.
Abbott wrote that while she was not directly called to be shot, the tone of the conversation was similar to Hester’s remarks. However, no one involved has apologized to her, and the Labour party has not personally apologized to her either.
Abbott was removed from the Labour party for a letter in which she seemingly downplayed the severity of racism towards Jewish individuals.
The author expressed concern that if Starmer removes the first black female MP from the parliamentary Labour party due to an eight-line letter for which she promptly apologized, it would be a disappointing and unusual decision. Regardless, it is crucial for the Labour party to maintain its stance against racism and Islamophobia, and be ready to combat it whenever and wherever it arises.
Source: theguardian.com
