Labour Muslim Network calls Andy McDonald suspension ‘deeply offensive’
The Labour Muslim Network has said the party’s suspension of MP Andy McDonald over comments he made at a pro-Palestine rally is “obscene and deeply offensive”.
Mr McDonald, who has been MP for Middlesbrough since 2012, had the party whip suspended on Monday for using the phrase “between the river and the sea” at the rally.
Critics of a chant which contains the phrase “from the river to the sea” argue it implicitly calls for the destruction of Israel.
But Mr McDonald has rejected this interpretation of his words, claiming they were a “heartfelt plea for an end to the killings in Israel, Gaza, and the occupied West Bank, and for all peoples in the region to live in freedom without the threat of violence”.
Speaking at the event on Saturday, Mr McDonald said: “We won’t rest until we have justice. Until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea can live in peaceful liberty.”
Explaining the suspension, a Labour spokesperson said: “The comments made by Andy McDonald at the weekend were deeply offensive, particularly at a time of rising antisemitism which has left Jewish people fearful for their safety.
“The chief whip has suspended the Labour whip from Andy McDonald, pending an investigation.”
Earlier this month, Home Secretary Suella Braverman urged police chiefs to consider interpreting the phrase “from the river to the sea” as an “expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world”, an interpretation backed by Israel and many Jewish groups.
In a statement published shortly after the suspension was confirmed, the Labour Muslim Network described the decision as “both obscene and deeply offensive”.
The statement said: “The fundamental right to live in peace, with liberty and self-determination is one which should be applied to all peoples. It is the principle on which our democracies are built.
“The only conclusion that can be drawn is that those who have made this decision do not see Palestinian and Muslim life as deserving of this fundamental principle.”
Mr McDonald said he was “saddened” by the decision and that he would be “engaging and fully co-operating with the inquiry”.
“Throughout the past two days, there have been a number of misrepresentations of my words in the media,” he continued.
“These have furthered baseless and extremely harmful accusations against me, which I feel obliged to respond to now, in order to avoid any further errors in the press.”
He added that his speech “should not be construed in any other way than they were intended, namely as a heartfelt plea for an end to the killings in Israel, Gaza, and the occupied West Bank, and for all peoples in the region to live in freedom without the threat of violence”.
“I will be happy to explain these views to the investigation when it convenes, and trust that the whip will be restored. In the meantime, for the sake of humanity, I hope and pray that we see an end to the war in Gaza, and steps are taken towards a lasting peace,” Mr McDonald added.
Jeremy Corbyn’s former shadow chancellor John McDonnell defending Mr McDonald, stressing that he had not used the conested chant but “turned a slogan some are concerned about into a peace plea”.
He added: “Now he has been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party. This isn’t just unjust it is absolutely nonsensical. It was a brilliant way of turning something that some misinterpreted as a negative into a positive contribution.”
North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll, who quit Labour earlier this year, said: “Suspending a great local MP like Andy McDonald for calling for Israelis and Palestinians to live together in peace and liberty is shameful. Sir Keir needs to reverse this decision. Everyone should be calling for peace.”
Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: “The Labour leaders’ office has got this profoundly wrong. Keir Starmer must intervene to reverse this appalling decision.”
Shadow Cabinet minister Darren Jones earlier said “from the river to the sea” was not a phrase that he would use and acknowledged it had “very deeply held connotations for people who are either from the region or have connections to the region”, telling Times Radio: “All of us in politics need to work extra hard to choose the right words.”
