Crowds gathered outside the constituency office of Labour’s MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Rushanara Ali, on Thursday, chanting “vote her out” and “Labour party shame on you” after she did not back a Gaza ceasefire vote in parliament. There were protests elsewhere against Labour MPs who backed Keir Starmer in the vote on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Some constituents were angry that Ali, a shadow business minister, did not back an amendment to the king’s speech brought by the SNP calling for a ceasefire. More than 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began. The region is under siege, with little aid getting through and desperate shortages of food, fuel, medicine and water. It was provoked by Hamas’s attack on Israel in which 1,200 were killed, mainly civilians in their homes and at a music festival, and more than 240 people were taken hostage. About 200 people protested at Ali’s office and some of those present said she had missed an opportunity to use her voice to condemn the violence from Israel – and said they felt resentment that she had chosen to remain on the Labour frontbench rather than signal what she believed. Ali said on social media she had “long supported a ceasefire”, but explained she was abstaining from the vote because “the reality is that this motion does not secure a ceasefire and would not lead towards one”. Eight Labour frontbenchers, including Jess Phillips, defied Starmer’s whip to back the ceasefire amendment. But the reasoning for Ali, and others who decided to abstain, was that they have more influence over Labour’s position – and, ultimately, on the international stage with Israel – if they made the case for a stop to the conflict from within the party’s top team. Ali added: “Leaving the shadow government is something I am always willing to do, which is why I completely respect the decision taken by fellow MPs today. The moment I think my presence is less positively impactful than my absence, I will do so.”
At the protest, Mo Kalash, a 36-year-old from Syria, said: “I felt really, really betrayed.” He said Ali’s vote made him feel “incredibly disappointed, and disheartened by democracy”. Salma Choudhury, who lives in the constituency, which is about 35% Muslim voters, said Ali “doesn’t portray our views”. “You can either be loyal to your party or your constituents. She chose the party,” she said.
Jakir Ahmed, a 38-year-old who attended the demonstration with his children, said he was “stunned” by Ali’s vote. “It’s about humanity. These are people [in Gaza] who have nothing else,” he said. “If you have a voice, you should use it for justice.” He said that minorities in the UK had always looked to Labour as the party sticking up for their rights, but that now that view would be questioned because of the party’s position on Gaza. Chants were heard including “Israel shame on you”, “stop killing babies”, and also the controversial “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. Shabbir Lakha, a 31-year-old who works in the constituency and is involved with Stop the War activism, said the protests calling for a ceasefire are only going to grow. “What we’re seeing is people are just desperate to find a way to have their voices heard,” Lakha said. “We’re seeing horrific things in Gaza, people are outraged and they want to take a stand against it.”