Thread by @bgbwomen

🌹🧵Update from Bethnal Green & Bow Women’s Branch: concerns about extended abuse across Tower Hamlets Labour Party, and #Solidarity with Apsana Begum MP

A long thread 🪡 Please read until the end & hear us! 1/

Last year our Women’s Branch unanimously passed a motion for public support of @ApsanaBegumMP and an inquiry into her wrongful prosecution by Tower Hamlets council 2/

The motion noted that court was presented with extensive undisputed evidence (including police reports) that characterised the behaviour of Apsana’s ex-husband, as controlling, coercive and abusive 3/

It also raised that throughout the prosecution there had been leaking of information to Tory councillors, right-wing blogs, and the tabloid press, and that since, Apsana had been the victim of sexist, racist and Islamophobic abuse online, and threats to her safety 4/

We resolved to write to the then Mayor, John Biggs, and the Whip, Tarik Khan, demanding an investigation to answer questions such as: why the case was not handed over to an independent body, given the conflicts of interest? Who was or were the source of the leaks? 5/

https://twitter.com/bgbwomen/status/1444961242494423042

We received no response to our email, from either Biggs or, former Cllr and Whip, who is now the Secretary of Bethnal Green & Bow Constituency Labour Party. They didn’t even acknowledge receipt of our message 6/

This lack of response felt indicative of a culture of misogyny. We felt that concerns about domestic abuse, and the way this can be perpetuated and extended by friends and colleagues of an abuser, had been overlooked & dismissed 7/

https://twitter.com/aaronbastani/status/1433787701195591688?s=21&t=WNnQAUNvNuTelyX0yFNyxw

https://t.co/WhwlWSxaQ1

Since then, and despite motions from the Women’s branch calling for action from the Executive Committee, our officers have been frustrated and blocked from administrating the democratic functions of the Women’s branch 8/
cc NWC: Ruth Hayes, @Ekua4Hulme @solma_ahmed @karinsmyth

Ehtasham Haque, Apsana’s ex-husband remained listed as a Labour councillor until May 2022, despite reports he was suspended by the Labour Party. Here he is with Mayor Biggs in late April 2022 9/

https://twitter.com/thwomensmarch/status/1516457264441344005?s=21&t=zdKvPyo3bwzetQxnJWUVIQ

https://twitter.com/thwomensmarch/status/1516455843021135872

Then, last week, one of our Women’s Branch Officers was subject to intimidating behaviour, and we were presented with evidence of Haque’s continued involvement with Tower Hamlets Labour Party politics, through communications with a senior member of the executive of our CLP 10/

This evidence of his continued involvement in Tower Hamlets Labour Party internal politics, and our experience as branch officers, are consistent with reports from our sister CLP, Poplar & Limehouse, about Ehtasham Haque’s involvement re the current re-selection meetings,… 11/

…the ongoing intimidation of supporters and friends of Apsana Begum, and the wrongful use of email lists and data 12/

On Weds, on behalf of the Branch, standing in solidarity with all survivors of domestic abuse, our Branch Chair wrote to Amy Fode (London region) to raise these & other issues in a formal complaint. We have now shared this with the NEC 13/
cc @gembolton @MizJama @AnnelieseDodds

We stand in solidarity with Apsana and will continue to call for justice regarding her wrongful prosecution 14/

chng.it/NgzQYbzm

Too often domestic abuse is silenced and perpetuated by institutional structures. We will not be silent. We will keep the Women’s Branch updated as to the response to this complaint 15/

Thank you to all our branch members who were so brave in speaking about their own experiences at the meeting where we passed the original motion ❤️

Love and Justice to Apsana and all survivors of domestic abuse
/end 🧵🪡🌹