Tory donor openly states Dianne Abbot should be shot..

[VestibuleVirgin]

Frank Hestor reportedly said: “It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you’re just like… you just want to hate all black women because she’s there.
“And I don’t hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot.
“(The executive) and Diane Abbott need to be shot.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/frank-hester-tory-donor-diane-abbott-comments-black-women-labour-b1144631.html

Abominable, disgusting. Aibu to be incecsed by this?
Money allows all sorts of behaviours apparently, particularly if you give a lot of it to a political party.

And by saying "refers" @Clavinova is implying I use the phrase habitually. She dug out one reference, not directed at an individual, used nearly a year ago.

It's amazing how much "forgiveness" they can summon up when it's one of their biggest donors.

Bit like BoJo and his old letterbox / bank robber jokes, eh?

don’t remember him apologising for those, either.

Don't worry ilovesooty. We know the game being played here.

Hopefully we will soon be rid of this reeking cesspit of a government.

Is there a desire to get the thread full as quickly as possible so it sinks without trace I wonder?

There are tiny children out there with a better sense of justice and fairness than Hester. We teach our children better than this.

The Conservatives have a moral responsibility to our society. This is not just about money. This is about what you expect from anyone.

And btw, is the cost of hatred £10 million.

Can I donate £10 and get a free swipe at Diane Abbott. Or conversely, is the cost £20 million and the PM waits 48 hours to call me a racist?

Well there will be another scandal along shortly, so it's a waste of time.

Spot on.

I can only imagine how soul destroying it must be as a person of colour, and especially as a black woman to not be able to quickly call this out for what it is.

They both have children for god’s sake, how do they look them in the eye?

Are people not allowed an opinion anymore. Jesus Christ. The comments were vile yes. But the bastard witch hunt that has taken place on here. @Clavinova has been torn apart and piled on en masse because she holds a different view. Some people have said they don't like DA and also called out the comment, but that's not good enough either. Are we all to pretend to be gibbering wrecks who hold her in high regard in light of the comments made?

2023 wasn't a great year for Labour either if these headlines are anything to go by:
https://enfielddispatch.co.uk/suspension-of-bambos-charalambous-followed-female-labour-mps-sexual-assault-complaint/
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jun/01/labour-suspends-mp-geraint-davies-sexual-harassment-allegations
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/may/10/labour-defends-complaints-process-after-three-year-delay-in-harassment-case
https://news.sky.com/story/former-labour-mp-paul-clark-jailed-over-child-abuse-images-12879331
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/former-labour-peer-lord-ahmed-has-sex-abuse-sentence-halved-6kn0bd8mn
https://news.sky.com/story/former-labour-mp-jared-omara-jailed-for-four-years-over-fraudulent-cocaine-expenses-12806834

Racism is racism.

It needs condemning regardless of how "likeable" you find the person on the receiving end of it.

In a move I never thought I'd make, people should consider the words of Michael Gove yesterday: you can begin to question: do you really want to be lending credence to this? If you do, fair enough. But now there is no excuse for ignorance.

No, she’s been piled on because she makes terrible arguments based on whataboutery and holds her darling Tories to a lower standard than she expects of Labour (of 15 years ago).

Same as you weren’t piled on for holding different views, just forced to apologise for sharing lies.

The problem with arguments that attack DA in the current thread is that it makes you look like a racist apologist.

Which I think we can all agree is a terrible look for anyone, regardless of their political leanings.

1. I wasn't referring to you when I said I've been accused of trying to change the subject or go off at tangents to the main topic.

2. What you think I am trying to say is not what I'm saying at all. You are either completely misunderstanding me or completely misrepresenting me.

Perhaps for clarification, read back through all my posts on this thread.

Given your level of contribution (now quite rightly deleted) if I were you I’d be keeping a low profile, not scolding the majority of posters.

@scorpiogirly , Clav has been called out for deliberately derailing the thread, for posting irrelevant links from a decade ago and for not addressing the issue. There's a simple solution if she doesn't want to be challenged: give your opinion honestly and stop trying to deflect and excuse the inexcusable.

Your childish point scoring has no end does it?

Racist and wrong - but his remorse should be accepted.

Is he remorseful though?

What kind of person says that someone hates all black women because of how they see 1 person and they think that person should be shot?

I think the difficulty stems from the ongoing refusal to acknowledge the racism & misogyny inherent in Hester's choice of words.

If the comments were unacceptable why not say why they were unacceptable?

And if you'd return cash if it were not for an election it means that any donor can say anything, give a half arsed apology and shove it under the carpet.

It's an example of moral failure. Hestergate is probably the thing that will finish off Rishi Sunak reputationally.

He has to launch an extremism definition tomorrow and get through PMQs after his homily about division.

He is now toast on both sides.

As a black woman I'm genuinely shocked that people are saying it's racist, but Diane... and then running her down. For once can't we say that is racist and shocking, poor woman suffering that level of abuse, the end.

Funny how you are quick to come on and defend someone like Clavinova. You are another one with no shame. No doubt you will just ignore my post though. I am not the only one who can see you though.

@Clavinova has been called to account for her persistent whataboutery, not to mention her slur on me.

And if someone claims that Diane Abbott is an ineffective constituency MP they should be prepared to substantiate that.

This link was posted earlier but in case it got lost, more comments from Hester

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/12/tory-donor-frank-hester-no-room-for-the-indians

Hester asked in a crowded balcony meeting, overlooking a railway, if there was “no room for the Indians, then?” He then said: “Climb on the roof, like on the roof of the train there maybe?”

@scorpiogirly

I think it's a bit rich critiquing the etiquette of other posters when you earlier shared a fake quote attributed to Diane Abbott, from a Twitter account whose most recent other post was a Tommy Robinson retweet. There's careless and there's dangerously careless.

Did you report that tweet yet? I did. I wonder if you did too.

Johnson apologised for any offence caused by his article - McDonnell doubled down.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2019/dec/05/boris-johnson-apologises-for-likening-muslim-women-wearing-burqas-to-letterboxes-video