As the Boris burqa row continues to dominate the news agenda for the fourth day on the trot, the former Foreign Sec’s enemies are still queuing round the block for the chance to stick the boot in. It’s hard to say though if many are actually offended by Johnson’s comments, or simply using the opportunity to settle old grudges.
It was Labour MP Rupa Huq’s turn to go on the attack last night on Channel 4 news, and as Mr S pointed out, she certainly seemed to enjoy doing it. But the MP also levelled more serious accusations against Boris, saying that his comments had the potential to whip up racial hatred:
‘Every time something like this happens, there’s a rise in all types of hate crime’
Boris Johnson burka row: The rise of political populism?https://t.co/fV0H38mvxs
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) August 8, 2018
Mr S couldn’t help but recall that back in 2016, she appeared to be less concerned about the possibility of rising hate crime against the Jewish community when her colleague Naz Shah shared anti-Semitic posts on Facebook. She even rallied to the fellow MP’s defence on Radio 4, saying:
‘She shared a post on Facebook, it’s easy to click those buttons – like, share – and I guess we have to be very careful what it is we are clicking on — all of us. This was a time when she wasn’t a public figure, it’s a time when she wasn’t a public figure. It’s just really unfortunate. We’re entering a phase where it’s trial by Twitter.’
She then went on to compare the anti-Semitic post to sharing a picture of Boris Johnson on a zipwire. Naz Shah later apologised for the post and was suspended from the Labour Party.
Comments