Leicester MP Shockat Adam, who made Israel’s war wth Hamas a central part of his campaign has been accused of ‘unprecedented intimidation’ by Muslim candidate
August 22, 2024 17:57
Another candidate in Leicester South has accused independent MP Shockat Adam of intimidation during his general election campaign.
The new MP won a surprise victory in July, unseating Labour’s shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth in Leicester South by 979 votes.
Now Osman Admani, an independent candidate who received just 339 votes, has claimed that Adam’s team targeted his home days after he announced his candidacy.
Admani, a lawyer from Leicester, accused Adam’s team of “intimidation tactics and bullying” during the campaign.
Like Adam, Admani campaigned on a Gaza ceasefire platform.
In an interview with social media publisher PoliticsJoe , Admani alleged that the day after he announced his candidacy Adam’s team organised a canvassing session in his neighbourhood. Admani said this was “unprecedented” intimidation.
In a blurred video, Adam’s supporters can allegedly be seen outside Admani’s house with a loudspeaker campaigning for Adam.
“Shockat’s team were not very happy, they were quite angry. Why? Because I am a Muslim.
“On the Saturday, Shockat Adam's people decided they were going to come into this area and make a statement... It was unprecedented, no one has ever seen something like that.
“They came down here shouting Shockat’s name on a speakerphone, knocking on all my neighbour's doors to the extent that my neighbours were intimidated and were telling their children ‘Just don’t react, stay calm.’”
Admani claimed the intimidation was spurred on by Adam’s team’s fear that his campaign would split the Muslim anti-Labour vote: “They were really worried that another Muslim is standing and he’s going to divide the votes.
When Politics Joe put these allegations to Adam, the independent MP explained that his followers wanted to coalesce the anti-Ashworth sentiment around one candidate.
“We had a 22,000 majority to overturn, and if there was two or three candidates that were seriously going to take on the Labour Party it wasn’t going to happen.
“So I suspect they felt if there was one candidate that a majority of the constituents could get behind then it would become a two-horse race.
“If it became a three or a four-horse race there was only ever going to be one winner.”
Adam denied any knowledge of intimidation or inappropriate behaviour towards Admani by his supporters.
The new MP’s campaign made headlines soon after the shock result when Ashworth claimed he was subjected to abuse by Adam’s team. During one instance, the Labour politician allegedly had to seek sanctuary in a vicarage for 45 minutes as an abusive mob of Adam supporters waited outside.
The former MP claimed leaflets were sent to residents branding him “Genocide Jon” after the Gaza ceasefire vote in parliament.
One activist said to be a “key campaigner” for Adam’s campaign and has been charged with encouragement and support of terrorism for incidents unrelated to the election campaign.
Majid Novsarka, also known as Majid Freeman, attended the Old Bailey earlier this month charged with encouragement of terrorism and supporting Hamas, a proscribed organisation.