Police investigate threats against Green Party deputy leader
Police are investigating threats made against the Green Party deputy leader after he allegedly attended a rally in support of the Iranian regime.
Leeds councilor Mothin Ali has demanded an apology from Sir Keir Starmer and Conservative MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke after it was alleged in parliament that he supported a pro-Iran government rally.
HE he told the BBC As a result of the accusations, he received many death threats on social media.
West Yorkshire Police said they had received reports of “threatening messages on social media” and were currently investigating the matter.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Wetherby and Easingwold MP Sir Alec said he was “appalled” to see “the Green Party deputy leader protesting in support of the Ayatollah once again”.
To which Sir Keir replied: “I think we are all shocked by the Green Party deputy leader’s actions, perhaps not surprised given his recent trajectories.”
Mr Ali later called out the statement on social media, writing: “Your statement today was a defamatory lie @AlecShelbrooke. I am proudly anti-war and anti-racist. I make no apology for attending the Stop the War protest.”
“This does not mean that I support the Iranian regime. I ask you to repeat your lies outside parliament.”
Ali said the event, organized by “respectable” anti-war organizations, was to protest “Israel’s illegal attacks on Iran” and did not support the Iranian regime.
He told the BBC he was asked to come to an “emergency rally” hours after the US and Israel launched their first strikes on Iran last Saturday, sparking the ongoing war in the Middle East.
“This was an anti-war demonstration,” he said.
“It was organized by the Stop the War Coalition (CND). [the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament] and a host of other organizations. I don’t know exactly whose names, but there was a list. Stop the War is the umbrella for all these anti-war demonstrations. That’s why they’re so respected.”
He added that there were “a handful” of Iranian flags, but most of the signs were “stop the war” and “anti-Trump banners.”
But the next day, he said, he saw “hundreds and hundreds of messages that were really targeted, really quite hateful, quite vitriolic, the way they framed it, treating it as something that it wasn’t.”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski also defended Ali, accusing Sir Keir of “blatant Islamophobia” and “slandering a principled, compassionate man who stands for peace” on social media.
Green MP Ellie Chowns also disputed the allegations in the House of Commons, saying Sir Alec had “wrongly attacked” Mr Ali and that his colleague was “absolutely not protesting” in support of Iran’s leadership.
Sir Alec and the Cabinet Office have been contacted for comment.
