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Labour MP Luciana Berger attacked again by Corbyn supporters over her police protection
Board says it shows the 'dire state' Labour is in when threats against an MP 'are treated as a conspiracy theory'
November 16, 2018 13:15
Board says it shows the 'dire state' Labour is in when threats against an MP 'are treated as a conspiracy theory'
November 16, 2018 13:15Labour MP Luciana Berger has condemned claims by Jeremy Corbyn supporters that she did not need a police escort, saying her protection officers were with her “all of the time” at this year’s party conference.
People began attacking her on Twitter on Thursday evening as Claire Perry, the Business and Energy Minister, reminded a BBC Question Time audience Ms Berger had to have police protection during September’s party conference.
Ms Berger faced renewed attacks from those who tried to deny the fact she was accompanied by police - despite photographic evidence - in an attempt to dismiss the antisemitic threats against her and the scale of Labour's crisis on the issue.
One Tweeter accused Ms Berger of "disgracefully smearing" Mr Corbyn and claimed her police protection was a "lie, confirmed by Merseyside Police".
Claire Perry, apart from disgracefully smearing @jeremycorbyn as an antisemite, also repeated the lie, as confirmed by Merseyside Police, that you required a police escort at the LPC. Would you take this opportunity to correct Perry for this lie which also smears Liverpool?
— yakublue (@yakublue) November 16, 2018
Contact Liverpool Police instead of parroting this lie. Berger did NOT have police protection. Now STOP!
— S. Paynter (@hollygirl230) November 16, 2018
After receiving wave of abuse, Ms Berger shared the police statement, pointing out it had only said she did not receive "armed" protection.
She wrote: “Read it closely. The clue is in the word ‘armed’. The police with me weren’t carrying guns. But they had tasers & batons.
“If my family and I could work, live and go about our business like everyone else we gladly would.
“That so many people are so keen to attack/deny/smear/obfuscate and I have to talk about my personal safety is indicative of a serious problem.”
She added it was "particularly galling" that "the same people who are having a go have literally NOTHING to say that our party withheld (from both me & the police) details of a physical threat made against me".
"I thought I joined a movement that believes in solidarity for all. Clearly not," she added.
Thread>>
— Luciana Berger (@lucianaberger) November 16, 2018
I missed #bbcqt last night but for the hundreds of people tweeting/RTing - including from 1 MP - messages denying I had police with me at party conference/saying it’s a smear this is what the police said.
Read it closely.
The clue is in the word “armed”. pic.twitter.com/SPZUQrgA7z
She also added that her police escort was only required “outside of the secure zone” at the conference, held in Liverpool.
A spokesperson for the Labour Party said of the issue: "It was only two years ago that Jo Cox was murdered in the street. We take any threat against any of our MPs extremely seriously and we’re grateful to the authorities for working with us to keep MPs safe.
"Jeremy has stated that people who dish out antisemitic poison do not do it in his name, and that personal attacks, on social media or in person, are never acceptable."
The Board of Deputies tweeted that the row over Ms Berger's police protection "shows the dire state of Labour's antisemitism problem when the threats against one of its own MPs are treated as a conspiracy theory".
Total solidarity with @lucianaberger. It shows the dire state of Labour's antisemitism problem when the threats against one of its own MPs are treated as a conspiracy theory https://t.co/SnQSUQjrSV
— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) November 16, 2018
Earlier this month the JC reported that the party failed to contact Ms Berger over antisemitic threats made against her, despite the fact they had become the subject of a Metropolitan Police criminal investigation.
The Labour Party has been approached for comment.
