Labour MPs have voiced concern about their safety and condemned the “vile abuse” against them and their staff as pro-Palestine protesters targeted their offices after criticism of the party’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war. More than 100 pro-Palestine events are due to take place across the UK this weekend, but there will be no large-scale national march in London. Campaigners are also planning a series of marches on the offices of Labour MPs who failed to vote for a Scottish National party motion on Wednesday calling for a ceasefire, including one at the constituency office of Keir Starmer. Dozens of activists held protests outside the offices of the London Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft on Friday, a day after hundreds gathered outside the east London office of Rushanara Ali. Lucy Powell, the shadow leader of the House of Commons, called for social media companies to “do more to stop the whipping up of hate and misinformation”. Several have contacted police for help in bolstering security, while the chair of the Women’s Parliamentary Labour party (WPLP) said she had called a meeting for Tuesday to assess the extent of the threat and offer reassurance where possible.
Siobhan McDonagh, chair of the WPLP, said: “When we are in an atmosphere where two MPs have died in recent years, then people do have reasonable concerns about their safety and the strength of our democratic system.” On Friday the office of the shadow Welsh secretary, Jo Stevens, was daubed with red paint by protesters who also attached posters saying she had “blood on your hands”, something she said was “designed to cause fear and harassment”. The attack on Stevens’s office was described as “appalling” by Naz Shah, the former shadow minister, who defied the leadership in this week’s Gaza vote. She said on Friday that police were now investigating after she had reported Islamophobic abuse against her. Shah told Times Radio: “I’m clearly concerned about all the people getting this vile abuse. I’m concerned for my staff. I’m concerned for every MP, [and their] staff right now who are getting the emails, the telephone messages, the abuse on telephone messages … all the people who are having to stay indoors because there are threats flying around and police are having to drive around their homes.”
Harriet Harman, the veteran Labour MP, tweeted: “MPs must be able to do their work without intimidation and threats,” adding that the attack on Stevens’s office was “an attack on democracy”. Some are pressing Starmer’s office to help them put extra security in place and even help move constituency office if necessary. MPs voiced privately concerns about what they saw as the inadequate response of the police, who they claimed were reluctant to intervene against crowds outside constituency offices because of fears of being seen to trample on free speech. There was also criticism of Operation Bridger, the police protection security programme which reviews the physical security in place for MPs’ homes and offices. A spokesperson for the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign said: “MPs should expect to be held to account for their statements or votes on matters of deep concern to their constituents. Peaceful protest outside constituency offices is a legitimate part of the democratic process.” The protests follow the vote on Wednesday night in which 56 Labour MPs, including 10 frontbenchers, defied party instructions to vote for a ceasefire. Starmer argues that calling for a ceasefire would not help as Hamas has said it intends to continue attacking Israel. Three Muslim shadow ministers who remained loyal to the party have been the focus of much of the agitation, including Rushanara Ali, the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, whose office was picketed throughout Thursday. Those among the 200-strong crowd outside her office on Thursday night chanted “vote her out” and “Labour party shame on you”. Among the Palestinian flags and Socialist Worker placards was a message that read “Free Rushanara from the shackles of the white man”. Separately, there has also been disquiet in Labour parliamentary ranks about the pressure brought ahead of the vote and what one MP described as a “disgraceful” tweet on the social media platform, X, which pictured men from the Labour whip’s office gathered around a table which appeared to contain a list of names. The tweet, which was later deleted by an account associated with the Labour whips office, came with the words: “Those who know, know” and was described as “intimidatory” by the MP, who said it had been widely shared on MPs’ whatsapp groups. • This article was amended on 19 November 2023. An earlier version said that a protest had taken place outside the office of the London Labour MP Meg Hillier on Friday; in fact this was a planned protest for a different day.