Man gets suspended sentence for harassing Labour MP Naz Shah
A man who harassed Labour MP Naz Shah during the 2024 general election campaign has been handed a 12-week suspended prison sentence.
Shah, who has been MP for Bradford West since 2015, broke ranks with the Labour Party leadership in November 2023 to vote in parliament for a ceasefire in Gaza, resigning from her position as shadow minister for crime reduction.
Nahid Khan, 46, pleaded guilty on Monday to using threatening, abusive or insulting words to cause harassment, alarm or distress to Shah on 12 June 2024 during the election campaign.
Shah was reelected in July, although with a reduced majority of 32 percent of the vote, down from 53 percent in 2019.
This followed a challenge by two independent candidates campaigning on an anti-Labour and pro-Palestine platform, who argued that the party should be punished for its support for Israel's war on Gaza.
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Shah argued in an interview with Middle East Eye during the election campaign that pro-Palestinian voices inside the party were perfectly placed to fight for change in a Labour government.
"If a group of us together, asking for our leadership to meet with us, for us to lobby and put our case forward, there's a higher chance of things happening there," she said.
“It’s not about Palestine. It’s football hooliganism.”
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) July 3, 2024
Labour MP @NazShahBfd responds to a viral video of her being confronted by a Bradford West resident while out campaigning ahead of the general election.
Watch the full interview on The Big Picture with @mohamedwashere pic.twitter.com/0FOIxFvn6k
She described facing harassment while canvassing during the campaign.
"The next day I didn't campaign because I didn't feel safe... I'm a mother of three children."
She added the harassment was "not about Palestine. It's about football hooliganism... It's about anger, it's about hatred."
On Monday, Shah welcomed the sentencing and described Khan's behaviour as "disgraceful".
"During an election, not only do people have the right to campaign for alternative candidates or views, people also have the right to make that choice at the ballot box," she said.
"The use of intimidation, hate and harassment has no place in a healthy democracy that allows avenues of debate, discussion and differences."
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