Labour MP suspended after using controversial pro-Palestine phrase at rally

30 October 2023 , 18:22

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Andy McDonald has had the Labour whip suspended and will now sit as an independent MP (Image: Ian Cooper / Teesside Live)

A Labour MP has been suspended after using the phrase "between the river and the sea" in a speech urging peace between Israelis and Palestinians at a recent rally.

Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough, will sit as an independent MP, pending an investigation. At a pro-Palestine rally, Mr McDonald said: "We won't rest until we have justice, until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea can live in peaceful liberty."

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously branded the slogan antisemitic and claimed that it is "widely understood" to call for the destruction of Israel but pro-Palestinian protesters have contested this definition. The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and other campaigners argue that the slogan refers to "the right of all Palestinians to freedom, equality and justice".

A Labour spokeswoman said: "The comments made by Andy McDonald at the weekend were deeply offensive, particularly at a time of rising antisemitism which has left Jewish people fearful for their safety. The chief whip has suspended the Labour whip from Andy McDonald, pending an investigation."

No10 said it is "not acceptable" for people to call for intifada or chant "from the river to the sea". Asked about reports pro-Palestinian demonstrators had used the chant "from the river to the sea", the PM's official spokesman said it is "deeply offensive" to many. "Obviously it's up to the police to make an operational decision about the use of that language if they see fit to do so, but I can understand how the use of that language and others will be of significant concern to many," the spokesman said.

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Education minister Robert Halfon, who is Jewish, told Times Radio that hearing the phrase being chanted was "horrific" and "scary", adding: "It's frightening for Jewish people in England at the moment, you know. I really welcome that the Prime Minister has done everything possible to support those of the Jewish faith, but it is frightening when you hear those chants ... when you hear cries of jihad every week in central London. It is frightening."

Sophie Huskisson