Thursday, October 24

Diane Abbott accused of ‘exploiting tragedy’ in now-deleted tweet over migrant deaths

Diane Abbott has been accused of exploiting the deaths of 41 migrants in a shipwreck off Italy in a now-deleted tweet in regards to the tragedy.

The MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, who’s at present suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party, tweeted a hyperlink to an article in regards to the deaths earlier immediately, and wrote: “These migrants have indeed f***** off. To the bottom of the sea.”

Ms Abbott despatched the tweet at 3.33pm, and it was deleted simply over an hour later.

Forty-one migrants had been killed within the shipwreck off the island of Lampedusa in Italy after a big wave apparently flipped the vessel. There had been solely 4 survivors.

The controversial tweet was deleted after just over an hour.
Image:
The tweet was deleted after simply over an hour

The former shadow house secretary’s feedback got here off the again of Conservative deputy chairman Lee Anderson’s controversial comment to Express.co.uk on Monday night – that if migrants don’t wish to be housed on a barge, they need to “f*** off back to France”.

Ms Abbott had responded to Mr Anderson’s comment yesterday, calling them a “new low even for the Tories”, to which he replied that he had instructed “illegal migrants to go back to France not genuine asylum seekers”.

However, immediately’s remark provoked an instantaneous backlash from X (previously referred to as Twitter) customers, and the Tory MP for Bassetlaw, Brendan Clarke-Smith, accused her and the Labour Party of “exploiting the tragedy” for political acquire.

Brendan Clarke-Smith
Image:
Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith

He wrote: “And to think that Sir Keir Starmer campaigned for this person to be made our home secretary.

“We all know you can’t take Labour significantly on immigration or nationwide safety, however what a disgrace additionally they search to use tragedies like this to push their warped agenda.”

Mr Clarke-Smith’s response was endorsed by the Conservative Party when approached for remark.

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Who is Diane Abbott?

Ms Abbott at present sits as an impartial MP after having had the whip suspended in April following remarks by which she steered Jewish individuals don’t face racism, however as an alternative undergo prejudice just like “redheads”.

She wrote a letter to The Observer newspaper, in response to an article which had the headline: “Racism in Britain is not black and white. It’s far more complicated.”

Read extra:
Tory MP Lee Anderson’s ‘f*** off again to France’ remark exhibits govt attempting to ‘distract from failings’, Labour says

The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP mentioned she was responding to author Tomiwa Owolade’s claims that “Irish, Jewish and Traveller people all suffer from ‘racism'”.

The Labour Party referred to as her feedback “deeply offensive and wrong” and suspended her pending an investigation.

Ms Abbott and the Labour Party have been approached for remark.

Content Source: information.sky.com