Labour leadership must stand up to intimidation and abuse
Cathy Newman-Thursday 14 Jul 2016
When I interviewed Johanna Baxter, a member of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee, last night, it was clear to me how upset she was about the abuse and intimidation she says she’s received. She’s normally a confident, self-possessed person, but last night she was trembling and holding back tears.
Ms Baxter says she’s received a couple of thousand emails urging her to put Jeremy Corbyn on the leadership ballot – a decision endorsed by the NEC at their meeting this week. What’s disturbed her is how many of those emails were threatening or abusive. She and some of her colleagues feel under siege.
In order to try and curb the intimidation, she argued forcefully for a secret vote on the issue at the NEC meeting, and was utterly appalled when Mr Corbyn opposed such a move. Despite his opposition, the vote was indeed held in secret, but the whole episode has left Ms Baxter shattered.
Hence her decision to speak to me on last night’s Channel 4 News. Afterwards, there was a lot of support on Twitter for her. But there were also rather too many abusive tweets aimed both at Ms Baxter and myself for having the temerity to give her a platform. Some of the tweets challenged me and her to produce the evidence of abuse and threatening behaviour.
I haven’t seen all the emails, but the ones I have are nasty enough.
One Labour member and supporter of Mr Corbyn wrote to her warning: “We know where you live.”
Corbyn himself has condemned this sort of intimidation and he and some of his supporters say they are also victims of appalling messages on social media but the number of people, especially women coming forward on the anti Corbyn side is overwhelming.
Another describes the 172 MPs who moved a motion of no confidence in Mr Corbyn as “backstabbing Blairite Red Tories”, “Tory Nazis” and “parasites” who “put greed before need”. The correspondent concludes: “Tell the rebel MPs get behind Corbyn or face deselection. We the real Labour voters will not vote for Champaign (sic) Labour corrupt backstabbing bastards.”
Another email lists members of the NEC predicted to “vote the right way”, in favour of putting Mr Corbyn on the leadership ballot, but singles out Ms Baxter and a colleague as those they’re “doubtful about”, urging recipients to “target” the pair via personal email, which is then revealed.
Another Labour party member begins “respectfully” but swiftly becomes rather more menacing. MPs who opposed Mr Corbyn have got it coming, it’s suggested. “I believe pickets would ensure that the plotters never had peace, ever again. There would be hecklers and cat-calls at every meeting,” it says.
Ms Baxter’s personal email and mobile number were tweeted out for all to see.
So there you have it: intimidating, yes. Abusive, yes. Acceptable? Absolutely not.
The backdrop of intimidation aimed particularly at female politicians is alarming. A brick was thrown through the window of Mr Corbyn’s leadership challenger Angela Eagle earlier this week – a fact I put to my Twitter trolls, some of whom then ventured the opinion that Ms Eagle had set the whole thing up.
Many MPs have been badly shaken after the death of the Labour backbencher Jo Cox last month. And now routine abuse online is generating a climate of fear.
Mr Corbyn insists he’s denounced the abuse many times, and has himself received death threats: “As someone who has also received death threats this week and previously, I am calling on all Labour Party members and supporters to act with calm and treat each other with respect and dignity, even where there is disagreement.”
Death threats against anyone are clearly appalling, but Mr Corbyn’s opponents say he has to take some responsibility for today’s nasty political culture – so far removed from the “kinder politics” he promised.
The MP Ian Austin tweeted last night: “His leadership & Momentum have unleashed hatred & threats we’ve never had before.”
The veteran MP Margaret Hodge believes it recalls the 80s and the fight against the Militant Tendency.
This afternoon, Owen Jones tweeted that he was the “senior journalist” quoted and his text does seem anodyne. But in the context of nastier material, it perhaps did pile on the pressure.
Just to out myself as the "senior journalist" who texted a few NEC members to show it isn't as reported at all. (1)pic.twitter.com/585WJ0DsQF
Whoever ends up leading Labour needs to root out the abuse, before loyal party stalwarts like Ms Baxter decide enough is enough, and give up on the whole thing.
