The charity set up in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox has warned of an “incredibly worrying” spate of physical attacks and other “offline” abuse directed towards
election candidates.
In one case, the same word later used by Cox’s killer – “traitors” – was shouted in a
Labour campaigner’s face, while other activists have been left in hospital with cracked ribs and facial injuries.
Catherine Anderson, chief executive of the Jo Cox Foundation, told HuffPost
UK the 2019 race “differs from previous elections” in the level of “offline” abuse directed at would-be MPs and their campaigners.
The warning comes after a flurry of disturbing incidents have been reported since the poll was called, including: A 72-year-old Rotherham Labour activist hospitalised with facial injuries after being punched in RotherhamA Labour volunteer in her 70s left with cracked ribs after being thrown over the bonnet of a car in the West MidlandsThe Plymouth constituency office of would-be Labour MP Luke Pollard spray-painted three times with a “homophobic slur”An alleged assault on an activist at a Labour Party office, also in Ashfield A Lib Dem campaigner in Colchester wrote an anonymous blog describing “simply appalling” and “unbelievable” abuse from members of the publicTory candidate Iain Duncan Smith’s office vandalised with ‘Tory cuts kill’ graffitiOther candidates’ offices targeted in numerous places, including Derby, Sunderland Central, Ashfield and Carluke.It is feared the problem could be even more widespread, with activists not wishing to press charges or raise the issue for fear of damaging their party’s campaign.
One Labour canvasser described
Jeremy Corbyn as “a trigger” for some people.
They allegedly witnessed an attack in Tyne and Wear, saying: “A very nice bloke, canvasser, was pushed several times off the property and then pushed to the ground by a man. A similar thing happened today.
“I imagine this is taking place a lot. [Jeremy] Corbyn’s name is a trigger and activists are getting out and out abuse. It’s intense.”This is the reason those that love me didn’t want me to do it. It is hard, yet I can’t stand by & see #Ashfield left behind.Off out again this morning to talk about difference a @UKLabour govt can make & offer hope.Takes more than this to shut us Ashfield
Women up! 💪🌹 pic.twitter.com/gt8AsldcKM— Natalie Fleet (@Nataliefleet) November 17, 2019Another Labour activist campaigning in Teesside said: “I had one guy shouting ‘traitors’ and tearing leaflets up in our faces. Some activists are now refusing to knock on doors.”
Anderson, who runs the foundation set up after Labour MP Cox was killed by a far-right terrorist during the 2016
Brexit referendum, said the volume of physical attacks on activists and candidates of all parties appears to be “worse” at this election.
She described the local elections, which took place in May and were also marked by abusive behaviour, as a “real indicator that tempers had been running high on the doorsteps”.
Nevertheless, Anderson is dismayed at the latest reports as she confirmed candidates had approached the charity for help.
Stressing “real people are impacted by this abuse”, she added: “It does seem to be worse than in 2017.Former Tory leader bombarded with online abuse saying he should be shot and his office burned down as Labour suspected of dirty tricks in Chingford' | via @telegraphhttps://t.co/m70ZRCd3Zk— Iain Duncan Smith (@MPIainDS) November 28, 2019“I think when it comes offline and the abuse is physical and in person it is incredibly worrying.
“That is the area where this election differs from previous
elections – there are more stories of people being attacked in person rather than abuse being implicit.
“If it is the case that these incidents are increasing then it becomes a matter for the police.”
The Electoral Commission and the
police issued guidance for candidates and activists when the election was called. Advice included going out in pairs or threes, making sure others know where you are and staying in touch with fellow volunteers.
Anderson encouraged anyone who was targeted with violence or threats to contact the police.
Amid concern that the trend was discouraging women in particular from entering politics, she underlined that the 2019 election included a record number of female candidates, adding: “It’s important to say that people are not being driven out by abuse and intimidation but it is much more of an issue and hopefully the public is now aware that they need to take it seriously,” Related... Women Candidates Defiant Despite Police Warning Against Campaigning Alone
Boris Johnson Refuses To Apologise For 'Fuelling Abuse Of MPs' With 'Humbug' Comments Tory Jokes About Putting Jeremy Corbyn's Head In A 'Noose' During Boris Johnson Speech