Protest organiser denies intimidating MP and defends freedom of expression

Protest outside the office of the Tower Hamlets Labour Party in Bethnal Green, London, in an area represented by Labour MP Rushanara Ali, in protest at Labours stance on the Israel-Hamas war. Picture date: Thursday November 16, 2023.
Protest outside the office of the Tower Hamlets Labour Party in Bethnal Green in an area represented by Labour MP Rushanara Ali, in protest at Labour's stance on the Israel-Hamas war Credit: PA

An organiser of a pro-Palestinian protest denied intimidating an MP by demonstrating outside her office and said they just wanted to make their voice heard. Chris Nineham from Stop the War Coalition said politicians had a duty to listen to constituents and protesters had a right to freedom of expression. At the weekend the offices of Labour MPs Rushanara Ali, Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry were targeted following last week's ceasefire vote. "I don't think we should talk about members of the public coming together to protest as 'mobs'," Chris Nineham told ITV News London. "People have the right to protest in this country and there's no question about physical intimidation. "It's simply a question of saying our MP isn't voting the way we wanted to. She [Rushanara Ali] knows that. "We've emailed, we've sent letters, we've made phone calls, we've lobbied her personally, what's left apart from protesting, not in a physically intimidating way, but in a sense, in the way of getting together the population of the bearer that feel as if they're not being represented democratically, to say, come on.

Protest in Tower Hamlets, east London Credit: PA

"You've got to actually listen to your constituents. This is a normal part of British political life. And people really shouldn't be in politics if they feel that protest and marching is in some way intimidating. "It's not. It's about freedom of expression," he explained.

A total of 56 Labour MPs defied their leader’s position of advocating for pauses in fighting so they could support a ceasefire in a Commons vote.

In a statement following the vote, Sir Keir said he regretted that party colleagues had not backed his position but later said he was more focused on the plight of people in Gaza than managing the splits within Labour. At the weekend hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Sir Keir Starmer’s constituency office in north London calling for a ceasefire. John Rees, national officer for the Stop the War Coalition, told crowds: “My message to Keir Starmer is this. One, you are a wasteman. Two, get with the programme, demand a ceasefire now.”

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