A glimpse of the abuse I face for challenging racism, xenophobia and bigotry.

This won’t silence me — I will always speak truth to power.


Cont.

Since the election was called, I’ve reflected on my time so far as an MP.

It's a huge privilege, but it’s not been easy.

In 2019 I became the youngest Muslim ever elected to Parliament.

This year I was told I receive more online abuse than any other MP, mostly Islamophobic. 🧵 I’ve been determined not to let it stop me.

I raised £13,000 for Coventry Foodbank & proposed a Bill to extend free school meals to all.

I stood with workers & led campaigns against the cost-of-living crisis.

I co-sponsored the Green New Deal Bill & gave young people a voice.

NEW: Just days after Israel killed 3 British nationals, the UK government formally decided to continue selling arms to Israel, newly-released court documents reveal.

These damning documents again show that arms sales to Israel must end. 🧵 1/11 On 1 April, Israel killed 7 aid workers in Gaza, including 3 British nationals.

The documents reveal that just days later, on 3 April, the Foreign Secretary recommended continuing supplying arms to Israel.

This recommendation was accepted by the Trade Secretary on 8 April. 2/11

Lee Anderson’s comments about Sadiq Khan were racist and inflammatory. It's right he was suspended.

But we shouldn't kid ourselves. Whilst his words were cruder than most, they were far from isolated.

I am truly frightened at the way Islamophobia is being stoked in Britain. 1/9 Just this week, Suella Braverman wrote an article saying “the Islamists are in charge”.

Robert Jenrick told Parliament “we have allowed our streets to be dominated by Islamist extremists”.

And Liz Truss said nothing when Steve Bannon told her Tommy Robinson was a "hero". 2/9

I get more abuse, threats and racism than most MPs. So I don’t say this lightly.

And to be clear: no-one in public life should have their safety threatened, nor be subject to unacceptable abuse.

But I find the debate about public engagement with MPs concerning. Here's why. 1/10 First, there’s an attempt being made to demonise the Palestine solidarity movement, portraying it as inherently violent and extreme.

This attempt is laced with Islamophobic tropes. Just look at Suella Braverman’s latest article. 2/10

NEW: The government hid from Parliament the Foreign Office's "serious concerns" about Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law in Gaza, according to newly-released court papers.

This should be national news – and it should end arms sales to Israel. 🧵1/12 The papers show that at the start of the war the Foreign Office set up an internal International Humanitarian Law assessment process.

On 10 November it judged: “the volume of strikes, total death toll, as well as proportion of those who are children raise serious concerns”. 2/12

I'll post the video shortly, but I want to get this out there:

In Parliament today, I called for de-escalation in the Middle East and for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

In reply, Rishi Sunak said I should call "call on Hamas and the Houthis to de-escalate the situation." 1/4 This is an Islamophobic trope – as if by being Muslim, I am responsible for Hamas and the Houthis – and then Tory MP Andrew Percy says:

“Too many people give a free pass to the terrorists who perpetrated the worst murder of Jews *and we’ve just seen an example of that.*” 2/4

In the Holocaust Memorial Day debate in Parliament, I spoke about contemporary antisemitic threats, including Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán.

I've now received an angry letter from the Hungarian ambassador, asking for details.

Here's my reply & a thread on the details: 1. Orbán praises Hitler's fascist allies, who helped the Nazis murder Jewish people in extermination camps. haaretz.com/world-news/eur…

It's fair to say that most people know how terrible Sajid Javid & Priti Patel are. I now want to introduce Munira Mirza who has been appointed by Boris Johnson as the new Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit. In 2017, she disputed @DavidLammy’s review of racism in the criminal justice system, which highlighted the bias and discrimination faced by BAME people, and said it “exaggerated the problem of racism”.