Thomas
Kiernan, Respect Party Member (North West)
If
you wish, follow me on Twitter @TRKiernan
When I read that George
Galloway had been assaulted in broad daylight, by an opponent of his staunch
defence of the Palestinian people, I wondered whether this was a sign of
democracy unravelling when certain people are faced with controversial views.
First, we saw Jim Murphy pelted with eggs when defending his views on Scottish
Independence against loud opposition from ‘Yes’ supporters. This was followed
shortly by a vicious, pre-meditated attack on a 60-year old politician who now,
due to injuries which include cracked ribs, cannot currently hold his newborn
child. What exactly did either of these acts prove? Since when has physical
violence demonstrated anything other than an inability to debate and employ
reason?
Regardless of your
opinion on George’s politics, everybody should condemn this form of crime.
Louise Mensch, the former MP for Corby and a strong supporter of Israel, was
one of the few people who condemned the attack, albeit attacking Galloway’s
character in the process. Other pro-Israel supporters, instead of physically assaulting
their opponents, should engage in debate and prove to other people why Israel
should be supported. I am inclined to believe; however, that violence often
only occurs when people are unable to support their views through rational
thought. Violence occurs when people simply do not wish for alternative views
to be made public because, as David Bradley stated in an episode of Ashes to Ashes, it is “fear which closes
down [opposition], not arguments.”
It is apparent that
some opponents of George applaud, and will continue to applaud, what this man
has done. It was brought to my attention that some of these had, among other
things, “hoped he’d finished the job”. Little more needs to be said. What is
more apparent, and more concerning, is the complete lack of public condemnation
from any other Member of Parliament. Unsurprisingly, John Wight hit the nail on
the head when he stated the following in an article published for the
Huffington Post:
"If such an attack took place against a pro-Israel MP by
a Muslim supporter of Hamas you can bet the condemnation would have been near
total and carried on the first page of every mainstream newspaper, not to
mention the lead item on every TV and radio news bulletin."
It is a basic tenet of
British politics, and our culture, that any politician should be capable of
making political speech without looking over their shoulders out of fear for
their physical and mental well-being. Desmond Tutu once said that if you are
neutral in times of injustice you are in support of the oppressor. This is
undoubtedly more poignant when the speech involves controversial and divisive
issues, and the Palestinian crisis is clearly one of those issues. You may
disagree with an opposing politician and you may even condemn the words they
speak, but you certainly do not support their assailants by remaining silent on
the issue. Whether through egg-throwing, making death threats or actually
harassing them in the street, an assault on an elected official is an affront
to democracy and should be widely condemned whenever it occurs. This basic
tenant has been failed in relation to George’s attack.
When Galloway was sworn
in to Parliament in 2012, the Prime Minister half-complimented him in
commending that he always spoke with great force. Unfortunately, that did not
extend to publicly condemning the suppression of that voice when the six-time
elected official was beaten in the street. In a sad case of irony, as well as
an apt pun, it is Westminster and the political class which has truly proven to
lack respect for democracy.
