UK
My pro-Israel views have left me fearing for my life, reveals MP Mike Freer
Following an arson attack on his office, the politician opens up about the abuse and intimidation that he faces daily
December 27, 2023 18:37
Following an arson attack on his office, the politician opens up about the abuse and intimidation that he faces daily
December 27, 2023 18:37Finchley and Golders Green MP Mike Freer has said that his pro-Israel views have made him fear for his life following an arson attack on his constituency office.
Freer, whose office in Finchley was damaged across three floors when it was attacked on Sunday, told the JC he was “always worried if I'm going to come home each night”.
He added that his husband “always wants to make sure he picks me up from the tube after work, he doesn’t like me walking home alone”.
Freer, who has been the subject of two other serious incidents and wears stab vests at public events, said he had been bombarded with abuse over the years, including one email that he received on Tuesday night which said he was “the kind of person who deserved to be set alight”.
“I think obviously because I have such strong views on the Middle East, and I’m pro-Israel, this has led me to become a target,” Freer said.
He has been the MP for Finchley and Golders Green since 2010. In October 2011, he was the target of an attack at a constituency surgery at a mosque, and in April 2022 the MP revealed that the terrorist who murdered David Amess had visited his constituency the September before. By chance, he had not been in his office.
He said, however, he “won’t be deterred” from being a vocal supporter of Israel. “Anyone who wants to silence somebody shouldn’t be allowed to win,” he said.
One of Freer’s Jewish constituents said: “At a time of heightened fear and concern in the Jewish community, it seems more important than ever that staunch spokespeople for our community such as Mike Freer can carry out their roles without threat or fear.”
Although he is not Jewish, Freer’s constituency has the highest proportion of Jewish voters in the UK. “Living in the area, I’ve got to know the community inside out, from the most liberal to the most observant,” the MP added. “I embraced them and they embraced me back, and for that I’m enormously grateful.”
Speaking on the rise in antisemitism across the country, Freer said: “As a friend of the community, I more than ever want to ensure that they are protected. This attack comes after antisemitic hate crimes in London surged by 1,350 per cent in October.”
Freer also praised his Jewish constituents’ “remarkable resilience”. “Since October 7, I’ve been getting round all our synagogues. Communities are more scared than they’ve ever been before”.
Although Freer highlighted that “it has always been the case” that Finchley and Golders Green has been a target for extremists, “problems in the Middle East tend to fuel this”. He continued: “Antisemitism is the oldest hatred in the world, and Finchley and Golders Green tends to be a target.”
Freer has started to take more serious security measures. “We’ve had a fairly significant security upgrade of both my home and my office, and I’ve been in contact with the Parliament security team”.
As well as wearing stab vests at public events, Freer said that his “staff [at the constituency office] speak to people through a glass screen”.
Although Freer said that although sometimes he feels like “the job isn’t worth the grief,” he confirmed that the attack would not keep him from his work in his constituency. “We take the rough with the smooth,” he said. “We’ll have a [security] review, but at the end of the day I want to be accessible. I want people to be able to stop me in the street”.
Freer is hoping to get his offices back up and running in the new year, and “habitable” by the weekend. In the meantime, his staff are working from Westminster.
Sarah Sackman, the Labour candidate for Finchley and Golders Green, wrote on social media: “I’m shocked to hear about a fire at Mike Freer’s office last night. I’m relieved to hear no one was hurt… It doesn’t matter which party you represent, we cannot conduct democratic politics in an atmosphere of intimidation. Sending solidarity to Mike and his staff.”
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also expressed concern over the arson attack and insisted it was “vital” that MPs can carry out their work “safely and without fear” as police continue to investigate the incident.
Police said that the incident at Freer’s office was being investigated and treated as a deliberate attack but they were still working to establish a motive.