Rushanara Ali MP, APPG on Philanthropy and Social Investment. It gives a bad name to the area.”, Whispers: local MP Rushanara Ali was a victim of ugly rumours on the doorstep, Power struggle: Labour’s John Biggs lost in May, Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman, centre on an election walkabout, Rahman’s campaign manager Alibor Choudhury accused Biggs of a 'clear appeal to racial prejudice', People told to ‘shine a light’ after Sarah Everard vigil is cancelled, ‘Sorrow and rage’: Sandi Toksvig leads virtual vigil for Sarah Everard, Britain ‘on course to vaccinate all adults by early June’, Sarah Harding: Christmas was ‘probably my last’, Pubs booked out for weeks ahead of April reopening, ‘Voice of Formula One’ Murray Walker dies aged 97, Lutfur Rahman fails in bid to block High Court challenge to Tower Hamlets election, MP slams extra borrowing for Tower Hamlets council, Tower Hamlets files for judicial review amid row over cost of 'fraud' investigation, Tower Hamlets sees foreign languages banned from vote counts, Tower Hamlets council 'is withholding information from the government', Police launch two new investigations relating to alleged election fraud at Tower Hamlets Council, Arrests as protesters clash with police at Sarah Everard vigil, Duchess of Cambridge visits Sarah Everard memorial at Clapham Common, Charlie Hebdo under fire over cover of Queen kneeling on Meghan’s neck. Tracy Brabin's off-the-shoulder dress raises £20,000 for Girlguiding, Tory candidate jailed for violent threats against Yvette Cooper, 'I am not a slapper': Labour MP hits back at criticism of attire, Black MPs tell of being confused with other politicians, Anthrax hoaxer who sent white powder to female MPs jailed, ‘I’m not going to be bullied into silence.’ The women defying abuse to stand as MPs. It’s not just about ‘betraying’ the country, it’s about ‘betraying the country that gave you a safe home’. Irresponsible in the sense that we’ve spent years together building good community relations, only for them to label someone in order to try to get an advantage. Boris Johnson on Wednesday night sparked a tide of criticism by dismissing suggestions that his rhetoric was dangerous in the current climate and claiming the best way to honour the memory of murdered MP Jo Cox was to “get Brexit done”. our years ago, during her campaign to become the Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Rushanara Ali began to hear a line of her biography that she didn’t recognise. The vast majority of us accept robust debate comes as part of our role, as well as constructive criticism. It matters that in the chamber the language [is] of traitors, of surrendering, of betrayal. Mr Biggs’s comments were made at a time when the English Defence League was planning to march through Tower Hamlets.”, The party sent the Standard a long list of alleged smears against them, including quotes from a Labour councillor who said Tower Hamlets “needs clean politics and clean streets”, adding: “With the current mayor and his friends, it has neither.”. Genuinely, I am quite matter-of-fact about it. It does peak and trough according to what’s going on in parliament. “They are now even more widespread, and how could it be otherwise? Two people have been sent to prison, one of them for four years, one was given community service and one a suspended sentence. Labour’s former mayoral candidate Helal Abbas was branded a “wife-beating candidate” and a “racist” in a mysterious advertisement in a “special issue” of the London Bangla newspaper during the last election. Amelia Hill and Rushanara Ali is the local Labour MP. “Threats and intimidation are not new to me – I’m dealing with a very serious case at the moment which is with the CPS – but it has increasingly become commonplace for so many of us across parliament. More needs to be done to increase take up. Unfortunately you become used to it in Tower Hamlets.”. 34. You try to remember these people are quite sad really, keyboard warriors who take to the computer and start sending these toxic rants. As it happens, Ali didn’t have children, but the story was hurtful and may have damaged her at the ballot box. Rushanara Ali MP on the Education Roadmap. In Tower Hamlets, 57% of South Asian residents and 46% of black residents over 70 have been vaccinated against Covid. It’s not just from the general public, it’s from the media as well. Whether it’s an election, or a campaign, it’s about the tone that people from all sides take, especially at the top. We are very, very tough. But among the detritus of the most controversial and poisonous British election for many years there exists the fear that the modern tradition of aggressive smearing in the borough is rearing its ugly head again. claiming the best way to honour the memory of murdered MP Jo Cox was to “get Brexit done”. I don’t know.”, ‘Politics of hate has been allowed to take centre stage’. As it happens, Ali didn’t have children, but the story was hurtful and may have damaged her at the ballot box. I have had so many just this afternoon. I have had death threats, and they have been reported to the police. “I think the only equivalent I have seen is Liverpool in the Eighties.”. During a comically rowdy council debate in March, a video of which exists online, Choudhury pointed to a Labour councillor who was wearing a black cardigan in private mourning for her ex-husband whom she had just buried, and said: “Oswald Mosley had the black shirts in the Thirties; John Biggs has the black cardigans.” The slur caused shock in the chamber and led to Choudhury admitting that he was “mortified” by the statement. When these things happen, it’s hugely disruptive in all sorts of ways and all you want to do is just put it behind you and get on with the job but, equally, I feel we need to speak out about these threats. You just can’t take any chances. “There are no boundaries now: the politics of hate has been allowed to take centre stage. It started with the referendum. Continue reading. A Labour MP exposed to a stream of harassment by a constituent is marking “the end of a distressing period” after her abuser was sentenced in court. I think everybody does. SW1A 0AA. But the language outside [the chamber], such as ‘letterboxes’, about painting the referendum as a proxy vote on immigration, that matters as well. To be a female MP, certainly in a marginal seat, isn’t easy. But according to a long-time Tower Hamlets veteran who is no longer involved, the tone of the borough’s politics has been markedly unpleasant for more than a decade. Alarm over number of female MPs stepping down after abuse, Man arrested outside office of Labour MP Jess Phillips. Bethnal Green and Bow MP Rushanara Ali … Rushanara Ali: 'End of distressing period' for MP after 'stream of abuse' Teen Vogue editor Alexi McCammond apologises for 'anti-Asian' tweets; Israel PM delays UAE visit after Jordan overflight 'difficulties' England Legends vs South Africa Legends Live … Local blogger and journalist Ted Jeory wrote: “There can be no other MP who has to deal with the kind of vile personal abuse and smears that she does just because she is a thoughtful and secular Muslim woman.”. Rushanara Ali net worth is $700,000 Rushanara Ali Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Rushanara Ali (Bengali: রুশনারা আলী; born 14 March 1975) is a British Labour Party politician and Associate Director of the Young Foundation, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bethnal Green and Bow since 2010. Twitter. Rushanara Ali MP Urgent Question on Student Support. She was also recently awarded a St John’s Honorary Fellowship. She was first elected in May 2010 with a majority of 11,574, having defeated George Galloway’s Respect Party. In recent years local politicians — some of, though not only, those standing against the controversially re-elected mayor Lutfur Rahman and his allies — have found themselves labelled as wife-beaters, paedophiles and, most problematically of all for community relations when the General Election is less than a year away, racists. Bethnal Green and Bow MP Rushanara Ali lived "in a constant state of fear" when faced with an 18-month hate campaign by Hussain Sha, during which he … Biggs says the re-emergence of a generalised culture of unpleasant smearing could prove to be a major setback for an area that has made good strides in its relations recently. Unfortunately, so many cross the line with threats of violence, and sexual violence, and some are really offensive. “I have had so many, too many, threats to detail. Since I confronted the prime minister on language, we have already had to report two or three to the police. House of Commons. At the time the hurtful allegations made against her were regarded as personal slurs. Now, it makes me feel angry, and it makes me feel really sad about where we are as a society, because I don’t want the widespread feeling that it’s just OK to abuse your MP, or indeed anybody in public office. “It can be wearing. Ninety percent of the perpetrators are men but sometimes you can’t tell: I got an email the other week to my parliamentary office that had been through such sophisticated malware that the police couldn’t trace where it had come from. Email: rushanara.ali.mp@parliament.uk. The newspaper, which refused to reveal who had funded the ad, backed Lutfur Rahman. It’s a deliberate and planned strategy: someone behind the scenes is saying this will create the chaos we need to get the policies through that we want.”, Your support powers our independent journalism, Available for everyone, funded by readers, MP auctioned dress after facing criticism on social media when wearing it in the Commons, Joshua Spencer, 25, attended Cooper’s election count after arrest and received character reference from Tory MP, Tracy Brabin responds to Twitter insults over shoulder-baring dispatch box outfit, Abena Oppong-Asare says she has been taken for a junior member of staff at Westminster. And it requires good-spirited persons like myself and ideally him — but I think not — to work hard to bring people back together again. “We have to report threats to the police at least once a week. And above the council’s various controversies hangs the uncomfortable question of why so many people who venture into politics in this key borough — located on the edge of London’s finance and technology industries and with a sharply divided population, a third of whom are Bangladeshi — end up with tarnished names and trashed reputations. “Last year, I received one of those ‘Punish a Muslim’ letters which a number of people received. Please contact Rushanara Ali's office for surgery information. I reject those saying we are snowflakes and weak. On 9 February, Rushanara Ali MP questioned the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. I think things are so tense at the moment, that can an election make it get any worse? On Facebook, Choudhury referred to Biggs as “John Bigot”. Ali attended an event held in my hometown of Bedford titled “Labour Friends of Bangladesh Bedford.” Leo Curran followed this page 2018-09-13 21:16:19 +0100. bbc.co.uk - A Labour MP exposed to a stream of harassment by a constituent is marking "the end of a distressing period" after her abuser was sentenced in court. Biggs told the Standard he thinks the notion was spread that he is racist among the borough’s Bangladeshi community. Rushanara Ali, Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow ‘Politics of hate has been allowed to take centre stage’ Rushanara Ali has served as Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow since 2010. That’s the norm today and it’s given permission to those outside the chamber to amplify their hatred and abuse. Sarah Everard latest: Accused killer remanded in custody. ‘I have had so many, too many, threats to detail’. 843. Rushanara Ali MP may “want to hear about the issues that are important to you” but speaking from experience, don’t expect her to respond to your emails. What do you mean where do my loyalties really lie? Other comments described her as a “sinner” who lacked “ethics or morals or manners”. Caroline Davies, Thu 26 Sep 2019 19.26 BST Recently in the December 2019 General Election, Rupa received 44,052 votes, which equaled a 72.7% majority, retaining her seat. London. Peck says he’s experienced very personal slurs from people associated with a mainstream party too, whom he thinks told voters on the doorstep “that I was Jewish and I was trying to shut down mosques”. You try to balance it against the good work you are doing and the supportive messages. But the threats are never-ending: you can’t avoid them altogether. “It certainly doesn’t shock me in the way it might have done three years ago when I did sometimes cry when I saw them. “The way these things are done is by word of mouth on the doorstep, in the community centres and by a small minority of political activists,” Ali told the Standard. “There are people in his party who in my view should be ashamed of the politics that they have engendered and fought for, and in particular they should be ashamed of the views they have encouraged to be held among young people, which are a very poor piece of leadership for the future. It can be poisonous, often a slur or outright lies about someone’s character or personal life. My security has been considerably ramped up to protect me physically and I try to insulate myself against the online abuse by being careful when I look at my emails, Facebook or my Twitter streams. Rushanara Ali was born on March 14, 1975 in Bishwanath, Sylhet, Bangladesh. Bethnal Green and Bow MP Rushanara Ali lived “in a constant state of fear” when faced with an 18-month hate campaign by Hussain Sha, during which he threatened to kill her. But the recent elections in Tower Hamlets brought memories of 2010 back to mind and put the borough’s eccentric political culture under the microscope again. Who was Sarah Everard and what do we know about her? “Since the 2016 referendum, it does feel like threats have become more serious and more dangerous. “I feel extraordinarily sad about that,” he says. And then the old chestnut ‘go home’; ‘If you’re not going to deliver Brexit, go home’. Quite the opposite. “I think you become a little bit inured to it. May’s mayoral and council polls in the borough are now marred in numerous allegations of fraud and electoral misconduct, which have seen two arrests and further investigations from the police and the Electoral Commission. The latest person tarred with that brush has been Rahman’s Labour opponent for the mayoralty, John Biggs, who finished a few thousand votes short of beating the incumbent. “I do fear with an election looming, it could get worse. “You are not just a ‘traitor’, you are a ‘coloured traitor’. “The abuse is virtually constant, certainly on social media. phone: 020 7219 7200 . “I think Lutfur Rahman is at risk of having led a campaign that has re-energised the polarisation of our community. But if you are also female and from an ethnic minority background, the abuse has a different angle. “What happened recently is very worrying. Prior to her election as Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow in 2020, Rushanara Ali was Associate Director of the Young Foundation, where she co-founded UpRising, a national leadership development and employability charity which has helped thousands of young people develop their campaigning and leadership skills. 25. I think that is cynical and unpleasant — it’s personally upsetting, though you get over it. “It can be tough. Contact the Member at their Westminster address. A Labour MP exposed to a stream of harassment by a constituent is marking "the end of a distressing period" after her abuser was sentenced in court. “The threats are toxic and they permeate our parliamentary debates. “The language people use matters. Rushanara Ali (1993, PPE) is the Labour Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow and sits on the Communities and Local Government Select Committee. “It seemed to say ‘she’s not respectable because she’s not married and she’s got kids’,” says someone who observed the bitterly fought election. And it’s in no way conducive to good community relations. Labour member of parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow. Rushanara Ali is the Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, and has been an MP continuously since 6 May 2010. The Guardian spoke to female MPs about the intimidation they face, including Paula Sherriff – whose speech about Cox and the threats she receives was dismissed as “humbug” by the prime minister in the House of Commons. Contact information. All rights reserved. I think all of us were a little bit complacent before. “The threats range from sinister and abusive to physically threatening. It is worth noting that at the time of the ad, Abbas had accused Rahman of being “infiltrated” and “brainwashed” by religious extremists. As watchdogs and police probe electoral misconduct allegations, Tower Hamlets’ politics just get nastier. She read about it in the comments section of a Muslim website and sensed that it had spread in the half of Tower Hamlets she was running to represent. “At the last election four years ago I received several hundred fewer votes in my ward than the other Labour councillor who I sit alongside, and the only reason I can see for that is this suggestion,” he told the Standard. Abuse, threats, vile colleagues… why would you want to be an MP? And that has become worse since the referendum. “In the past it used to happen with Respect party supporters, and this is a more elaborate version of it.” Respect did not answer the Standard’s invitation to comment. “Bastard children” was the pejorative of choice. “There is no doubt that I am a lot more careful now than I was when I first started. “The threats come all the time. In addition, a court petition is formally challenging the result. Threats on my life. Sally Hone followed this page 2018-08-23 14:48:32 +0100. “It is both a personal insult and very politically damaging. That is a small part of a campaign that has been very effective at polarising opinion in the East End.”, A spokesperson for Rahman’s party Tower Hamlets First told the Standard: “There is no culture of smear in Tower Hamlets politics, just the usual exchange between passionate local politicians. Bethnal Green and Bow was one of four Labour gains in 2010. After he told the BBC that “all of the mayor’s [Rahman’s] Cabinet are Bangladeshi and his primary policy focus has been the concerns of one community”, Rahman’s campaign manager, Cllr Alibor Choudhury, reported Biggs to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission for “racially charged comments” which he said represented a “clear appeal to racial prejudice”. confronted the prime minister on language. You must, because when I tell people outside politics that I probably had over 1,000 messages overnight, and maybe 200 were really, really offensive, people respond: ‘Oh my God’. Brexit really seems to have empowered some people who feel this sort of language, and these sorts of threats, have become legitimised. Website. Because I’m Jewish and a young woman, I have always had a disproportionate level of it but it’s got worse. That has a lot to do with the fact that Jo [Cox] was murdered. The perpetrator was recently jailed for 12 years. Rushanara Ali is the Labour member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow. “Will an election make it any worse? “I wasn’t allowed to leave my office for a couple of hours while the liquid was analysed. Rushanara Ali MP - Coronavirus Bill Debate About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features © 2021 Google LLC “Abuse is directed pretty much at all politicians. Feb 03, 2021. “The abuse is on Twitter, in emails and in letters. Labour councillor Joshua Peck says he forced a local Bengali newspaper to retract an article alleging that he was racist, and says he thinks it has been damaging to his work. Ali, who was born in Bangladesh and has lived in east London since she was seven, won that poll with a healthy majority, becoming the first person of Bangladeshi origin to take a Commons seat, and is now a shadow minister for education. “I’ve had youngsters come up to me in the street saying: ‘But you’re a racist, why should we vote for you?’ So there was an irresponsible tactic, I think on the part of people close to the mayor’s administration. Let’s be absolutely clear, we are very resilient. One said ‘you fat twat’. Michael Keith, a veteran politician in the East End for 20 years and at various times leader of the council in Tower Hamlets, who now holds a chair at the University of Oxford, was the victim of a very serious and personal slur which he declined to repeat to the Standard on the record this week, or to suggest where he thinks it came from, for fear of resurrecting it. Last modified on Tue 29 Oct 2019 15.12 GMT. Joshi Herrmann reports. It’s about the general conduct. Rushanara Ali MP, Chair of the APPG on Democracy in Burma said: "I strongly condemn the coup led by the Myanmar military, and the unlawful arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, other politicians, senior officials, human rights activists and others. “I am very concerned about the culture of smearing,” says Ali. Rushanara Ali is the Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, and has been an MP continuously since 6 May 2010. As Boris Johnson is criticised for his divisive comments, MPs shed light on the intimidation they have suffered, As told to: Rushanara Ali, London, United Kingdom. One article was headlined: ‘Where do her loyalties really lie?’ I was born in London, I’m a politician in London, I grew up in London. What worries me most now is that we’ve got certain public figures amplifying these tensions: it’s one thing dealing with people directly threatening you but quite another when their hatred and anger is fuelled by political rhetoric.”. “The abuse comes in all forms. That’s what really worries me. “We have a prime minister and attorney general who boom toxic, divisive soundbites that are immediately posted on social media by the far right. Business address: House of Commons Westminster SW1A OAA Bus. It was horrible. Phone: 020 7219 7200. Jess Phillips tweeted that she is not worried about an election, she is worried that somebody will kill her. Rape threats. Rushanara Ali MP on the Treasury Committee with the Chancellor (11/03/21) Not all of those caught in the Tower Hamlets slurring game have achieved such retractions. Rushanara Ali MP in the debate on Covid-19 vaccine take up rates in London (09/03/21) 1K. She was first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2015 and 2017. Today I urged Matt Hancock to increase vaccine supply to GP surgeries to increase take up among minority communities. She has been very careful about commenting on the issue and speaks about it only rarely. © 2021 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. She studied at Oxford University, she has held high-flying positions on think-tanks, and is on the shadow team for … From somewhere, the story emerged that Ali had “illegitimate” children. One Labour MP, Rushanara Ali, lived in constant fear after one of her constituents, Hussain Sha, bombarded her with hundreds of abusive emails, threatening to go to her office with a handgun. Email: rushanara@rushanaraali.org. I think at election time, yes, of course, there is heightened emotion. “It was really after the invasion of Iraq and the emergence of the Respect party that it got bad, with a truly awful campaign against Oona King,” he says. Once we start to drive a wedge between people and bring the language of the far right into the mainstream, it becomes extremely difficult to undo the damage.

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