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.

Shame on our Government.

Calling Diane Abbott would have given the Tory ghouls opportunity to loudly traduce her even more. She's still suspended from Labour on what Tories consider an equal offence. It would have been a complete bunfight and descended into a brawl. So I understand why Hoyle didn't call her. But if an MP can't speak in Parliament, where are we? Everything about this is WRONG. Too many yobs in the corridors of power.

Just watched Gove on BBC Breakfast. Basically admitting that Hester's view falls under the definition of extremism. Should he be investigated?

Hoyle is weak, the exact opposite of whats needed, week after week i hear him saying "if x or y carrying on, they'll have to leave" yet he rarely ever backs up his threat & allows the bully boys and girls in Parliament to behave as they wish.

Abbott has been (part of) the subject of the debate for many days, was the whole point of starmers questions to Sunak, outrageous he never called her.

Hoyle is part of the problem and needs to go.

I agree, he's as supine as Sunak. What a time to be alive, 1930s there as a huge bloody warning to us all and here we are sleepwalking towards the inevitable. Despairing.

I can only assume that he was terrified of being accused of not following standard procedure/protocol.

But surely there could have been a solution to this - I would hope that most MPs from all parties would have wanted DA to have the opportunity to speak.

Of course he was. It's less than a month ago that there were calls for him to resign for not following precedent, and allegations he was using his office to benefit Labour. The Tories would have made absolute hay if he'd called her, and the story would have become all about that instead of about the racism.

I really feel for the guy. Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

I know one thing the estimable Betty Boothroyd would have called her and no brawl would have ensued. If ever there was a time a Speaker of her calibre was needed it’s now.

A dignified and intelligent response from Diane.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/13/frank-hesters-ugly-words-about-me-are-a-reminder-all-parties-including-labour-must-stand-against-racism

It was shameful to see a bunch of white men discuss this while the woman herself stood 46 times (she is 70 for goodness sake) to try to get her say and was totally ignored.

It really is a good metaphor for how women and minorities are treated in this country: she was the target of racist, misogynist comments advocating for her to be 'shot' and she did not even get a voice and an opportunity to share her views on this while she was in the room.

Shame on Parliament and the government. The speaker is a weak and cowardly man.

It really is appalling how low the UK has fallen under these successive Tory governments.

Fully agree, silencing a women in her presence. I expect we all know how that feels. A disgraceful display of privileged misogyny and yet another insult to Diane. Women across the parties should unite in calling this out and demand better treatment. Utterly shameful.

Gove

https://x.com/SkyNews/status/1768183710422016490?s=20

"My natural inclination is to exercise Christian forgiveness."

Communities secretary @michaelgove on Frank Hester's comments about Diane Abbott which the PM has said are "racist and wrong"

All of this is spot on. Silencing Diane Abbott by pointedly ignoring her in this way was absolutely shameful.

So does he plan to exercise "Christian forgiveness" towards all of the other extremists that he has apparently identified?

If they pay donate enough

It’s really not up to him to extend forgiveness, Christian or otherwise. The only person whose forgiveness matters here is Diane Abbott’s.

Well, yes, quite.

It's very easy to "forgive" someone who has wronged one of your opponents. And even easier when it means that you get to hang on to their £10million.

What "forgiveness" really seems to mean in this context is "turning a blind eye".

Totally. Not one single person apart from Diane has the right to extend forgiveness to that man.

What is this current obsession with raising "Christian" all the time?
As someone of no religion, I really notice it. Forgiveness is not a particularly Christian thing. It also can't be exercised on behalf of the person who suffered the insult. That's just patronising.

Christian eh? If Gove is an exemplar then I'm glad I dont share his beliefs and practices. Hypocrite.

We are a country, not a religious order.

I appreciate there are 10 million reasons for forgiveness; but Michael Gove or anyone else parroting this line is not a priest but a moral vacuum

How is that relevant to what Frank Hestor said?

Forgiveness? Fuck that, Hester hasn't even apologised properly. He hasn't acknowledged that what he said was racist ans misogynist, only that it was rude.

There is an irony that creating an environment regarding a culture war, soy acceptance of racism and a narrative where foreigners are denigrated that the Conservatives are reduced to referring to Christian morality.

Had Christian morality agitated their policies for the last decade we would not be where are.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God