Heather Iqbal says George Galloway 'exploited Gaza' in general election campaign
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George Galloway has said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has "blood on his hands" over his position on Gaza. Heather Iqbal says she has been told exactly the same thing.
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In brief…
- Heather Iqbal says she faced a wave of abuse when she campaigned for Labour in the Yorkshire seat of Dewsbury and Batley.
- She says the hostile language she was met with was similar to the aggressive rhetoric pro-Gaza politicians like George Galloway have used.
- Pro-Gaza politicians have repeatedly taken aim at Labour for their stance on the conflict, arguing that the party should have backed calls for a ceasefire earlier.
Who is Heather Iqbal and what has she claimed?
Heather Iqbal, who contested for a Yorkshire seat in the general election, has said she faced abuse during her campaign which was filtered down from “aggressive political players” like George Galloway who “exploited Gaza”.
In an exclusive interview with The News Agents, Labour’s candidate in the seat of Dewsbury and Batley said she was told she was responsible for genocide in Gaza, and that she has “blood on her hands”.
As well as facing this abuse in person, it also involved nasty posts online, in which she says she was accused of being a “child killer”.
Iqbal, a Muslim, said she was also told things like “you’re not Muslim enough”.
“It just hurts”, she told Emily Maitlis.
Who did the abuse come from?
She said the perpetrators were aggressive men that followed a playbook that “we've seen from people like George Galloway”.
These political players “exploited Gaza” and used “nasty tactics” in their campaigns, she said.
Iqbal added: “They did lots of small things with aggressive language that over time started filtering down, people started reflecting that language. And it just became common behaviour.”
She was beaten by Iqbal Mohamed, one of four pro-Gaza independent candidates who became new MPs in the 2024 election.
What have Galloway and other pro-Gaza politicians said?
Pro-Gaza politicians have repeatedly taken aim at Labour for their stance on the conflict, arguing that the party should have backed calls for a ceasefire earlier.
It comes after Starmer had initially ruled this out, although his position has gradually shifted.
Galloway, who ran as the candidate for his Workers Party in the seat of Rochdale, has said the Starmer has "blood on his hands" over his position on Gaza.
Jeremy Corbyn, for Islington North, is also an independent MP who has been a vocal advocate for the people of Gaza and has called for a ceasefire in the region.
The News Agents approached George Galloway's party for comment.
They replied: "The Workers Party was closely associated with a number of Independent candidates who stood on a platform opposed to the genocide unfolding in Gaza.
"Our candidates and those with whom we were most closely associated polled a quarter of a million votes.
"In Manchester our supporters were the victim of a hit and run attack in May, during the general election in Littleborough a female campaigner of ours was assaulted outside the polling station and in Birmingham masked men attacked our canvassers with machetes and bats in Sutton Coldfield.
"No other party received this sort of violent harassment. All cases are reported in local and national media if you Google them, and all were caught on CCTV.
Iqbal Mohamed's team told The News Agents: "We have not been made aware of any other incidents, and despite meeting her on several occasions, they were never raised directly with Iqbal Mohamed MP. If there are other incidents, then they should be reported to the relevant authorities. We will be making no further comment on this matter and will cooperate with any formal investigation."
