When it comes to the ongoing bloodbath taking place in Gaza, Jonathan Ashworth must surely understand the importance of calling for an immediate ceasefire, after all this is exactly the demand that is being made by all of Leicester’s Labour councillors. This is also the demand being made by 16 MPs serving alongside Ashworth on Keir Starmer’s frontbench.
But instead of calling for a ceasefire Ashworth continues to call for a “humanitarian pause”!! On October 29 he made this ridiculous demand in a Facebook post which showed him on a previous visit to the occupied Palestinian West Bank where he lit “a peace candle at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem”.
Although MPs don’t ever seem to answer comments left on Facebook, I commented under Ashworth’s post saying:
“Pleading for ‘humanitarian pauses’ is not enough Mr Ashworth. You are right that the people of Gaza are being denied access to fuel and water and this is because of the war crimes being committed by Israel’s right-wing regime. Of course all politicians say that all countries “must follow international law”. This is why in the case of Israel it is not enough to state this and keep repeating this mantra. If a country is breaking the law then it must be openly condemned for doing so. Why won’t you do this Mr Ashworth?”
Leicester Labour councillor Steve Bonham also wrote:
“When in Bethlehem did you meet local Christian leaders? Have you kept in contact with any? Are you taking note of what they are asking of us now? Please read this by Rev. Mitri Raheb and reflect upon it. please consider reposting it and amplifying it. We all need to be listening to Palestinian voices. https://theimeu.medium.com/stop-praying-for-gaza-1b15658444de?fbclid=IwAR3apR11ZJNF0ibibNMlCRmlpBJKcnOyBvQSB2xJw4rUq_NfwHi6AjLampI
To date, Ashworth has yet to call for a ceasefire or repost the Rev. Mitri Raheb’s powerful commentary about Israel’s war on Gaza.
Other thoughts must be occupying Mr Ashworth’s mind. This was evident on October 21 when he posted on Facebook “I was absolutely honoured to receive Parliamentarian of the Year 2023 Award in the House of Commons at the 8th Political Summit & Awards chaired by community champion Professor @kishandevani85.”
Of course, only those who serve the needs of the capitalist establishment are likely to be honored with such awards. And of course it went unmentioned by Mr Ashworth that the “community champion” who chaired the event, Professor Kishan Devani, although currently a leading Liberal Democrat had spent most of his life as a Tory and even stood in Leicester as the Conservative Party’s parliamentary candidate in 2015.
JOIN the protest this Sunday in Leicester, see image below; and also read the Trades Council statement that was published on the letters page of the Leicester Mercury on October 30,
Thoughts of a Leicester Socialist 