Jess Philips - what was happening locally?

[MidnightPatrol]

I have seen the video this morning of Jess Philips standing up to a baying mob, on announcement of her victory in Birmingham Yardley.

She refers to a campaign of harassment of her staff - slashing tyres and filming etc.

There is then clearly a mob of people in the venue shouting.

What is the wider story / background on this? Who are the people intimidating them? Is it another candidate?

Have been watching what's gone on there. It's 100% newsworthy but has only surfaced now. Curious.

That's horrific. This has all passed me by until the last half hour, I've been travelling and catching up.

Does anyone know why this wasn't spoken about more widely during the campaign?

I've always had the impression JP loves campaigning but she seems to have had a horrendous time at this election.

I saw footage of female Labour Party workers in Birmingham being harassed. It was really unpleasant.

A group called The Muslim Vote has been behind the success of Independents in the election. A religious-grouped voting bloc in UK mainland politics is not a great development, IMO. Obviously these people aren't voting on religion itself but on foreign policy issues but I don't like that there is a sizeable minority of people who are sympathetic to totalitarian, extremist regimes with terrible records on human rights. I feel the same way about Nigel Farage and some of the Reform lot clearly being fans of Russia. (And didn't a Reform candidate say we shouldn't have fought the Nazis?)

I think the sway that Reform and Gaza have had on the results bodes very ill for the direction of politics.

Women are subject to it all the time. I can't stand Stella Creasey but she's had awful treatment too.

And Rosie Duffield.
Male politicians do not get threats of sexual assault, violence yes but women get both.
I've had enough of seeing this, this degeneration of British politics and the casual hurling of abuse that so many of us take part in. I've done it myself on here against some male commentators but the next level towards women is off the scale.

Ladywood is the neighbouring constituency to JP. The independent is a misogynistic twat called Akhmed Yakoob. He came 2nd to the labour candidate.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/24/birmingham-election-candidate-akhmed-yakoob-apologises-for-deeply-disturbing-remarks-about-women

I think you’ve misread it. She has pandered to Islamic extremists in the past but of course that doesn’t excuse their behavior or make it her fault. She is responsible for her conduct and they are responsible for theirs.

As I said though she hasn’t been supportive of others who have faced this sort of harassment and intimidation so perhaps this will change her view on that. Again, that doesn’t mean she is responsible for harassment she has faced. But she is responsible for her own actions in openly refusing to support others who were harassed in the past by extremists.

Noone should face harassment, assault or abuse or intimidation for their views no matter what they are. That goes for Rosie Duffield, Nigel Farage, Jess Phillips, everyone.

What’s happened there seems awful, but if you’re using the word ‘them’ to describe Muslims or people who support Palestinians just fuels the toxic culture that is at the root current divisions.

Edit - by ‘there’, I mean in that constituency. And I shouldn’t have said seems awful, I should have written was awful.

The only glimmer of hope in the awfulness of men like this getting any support at all, is that he was beaten not only by a woman - but a massively high-achieving Muslim woman.

Yep this. A lot of very deliberate shit stirring, shameful. Trumpesque behaviour in fact.

I doubt men get the same level of threats of violence as women. The difference when women speak publicly to men is astonishing. Diane Abbott is the most abused person in parliament. Someone said they wanted to shoot her, yet the Tories still took his money.

I think you’re reading into the use of ‘they’ a bit here.

We are discussing the men who are abusing the female candidates. ‘They’ is a perfectly reasonable term to address them.

And - the successful candidate they were harassing in Birmingham Ladywood is also Muslim.

How has Jess Phillips pandered to Islamic extremists?

Agree. I think it’s quite obvious by the context.

This intimidation goes on in many town and cities throughout the U.K every single day. Too many have no idea how the other half have to live. This is nothing new.

@MidnightPatrol Perhaps @BorgQueen could clarify what they meant by the word they? I took it to mean Muslims. Maybe specifically Muslim men.

It’s important to clarify, because if people are going to make those kind of statements, they should own it, rather than hide behind vague terminology.

Agree with this. That’s why we have to challenge posts that make generalisations about Muslims.

I've done some research and can't find anything. She's very firmly pro Israel.

It hasn't been spoken about because the truth wasn't happy smiley and inclusive so it is ignored. Unfortunately there is a large number of people in this country that don't believe in cultural diversity nor want us to live as one big happy community. Those same people don't want women educated and successful. Of course we are not supposed to mention this.

@getonwithit It does go on in many places, I agree. I see it on my own doorstep and have had to report the harassment of young women on our high street several times.
We are targeted by men with distorted views of women from porn, from people like the Tates, fundamental religious groups here and in the USA, incels, nasty left wing and right wing blokes.
I've yet to see a death threat online from a woman to a man , or a threat of sexual violence from a woman to a man.

you can’t have done very much research. Among other things, Jess Phillips resigned from the shadow cabinet to support an SNP motion against Israel citing her constituents.

Am happy to be corrected. Will research some more.

ETA She stood down because Starmer wouldn't call for a ceasefire. That's pandering to 'extremists' is it?

Just to be clear just because Jess Phillips pandered to extremists in her constituency in the past doesn’t make her responsible for their behaviour. However sometimes people like that (supporters of terrorism and Islamic extremism) get worse and target people if they sense weakness. But their conduct is still their responsibility- just that perhaps Jess could have dealt with them more robustly in the first place.

It came across she resigned the shadow front bench to save her seat. But if she's offered another front bench position now, then maybe that will become clearer.

They're not allowed to report election stuff while the vote is open.