27 April 2024 , 18:14
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Jacob Rees-Mogg was forced to flee from an appearance at Cardiff University on Friday after a gang of protesters heckled the MP and called him a ‘Tory c***’.
Scenes from the event show Mr Rees-Mogg being bundled into a vehicle while surrounded by security guards, as a group of protesters wielding Palestine flags heckle the former minister and drape themselves over the bonnet of his car.
The protest was organised by Welsh Underground Network and Cardiff Communists, with the former tweeting afterwards: ‘We helped organise a demonstration against this imperialist politician.
‘We managed to block the doors, shutting them inside for several (hours).
‘Mogg left under a barrage of our anger, anger at his zionism, anger at his cruelty to the working class, anger at his very existence.’
Mr Rees-Mogg, who had been giving a speech at the Welsh university’s Conservative Association, later said of the incident: ‘It was a legitimate and peaceful if noisy protest.
‘The Cardiff University security team was exemplary in allowing a lawful protest while keeping everyone safe.
‘Universities ought to be bastions of free speech and as both the protesters and I were able to give our views without fear or intimidation the proper traditions of adversarial debate were upheld.’
Mogg, and his ilk, are never welcome in Wales. No zionist politician should be able to walk our streets in peace, they shouldn’t be able to open their mouths without being shouted down pic.twitter.com/6lg4xCDJ1w
— Welsh Underground Network (@WelshUGN) April 27, 2024
But senior figures on both sides of the political spectrum have pointed to the event as further proof of ‘intimidation’ of public officials over their continued support of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden wrote on Twitter: ‘How silly of these morons – whatever they think their cause is, they do it a disservice.
‘I’m sure @Jacob_Rees_Mogg will have taken it in his stride but no elected politician should have to put up with this shrill intimidatory idiocy.’
Thousands of people took part in a pro-Palestine march in central London organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign this afternoon (Picture: Jeff Moore/PA Wire)
Jo Stevens, Labour’s shadow Welsh secretary, said: ‘Concerned by footage of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s treatment by protesters in Cardiff.
‘I disagree with him on almost everything, but we cannot accept a culture of intimidation in our politics.
‘The right to lawful protest is sacrosanct, but harassment and intimidation is unacceptable.’
The incident came a day ahead of a major protest in central London this afternoon which called for an end to Israeli aggression in Gaza and demanded an immediate ceasefire in hostilities.
The Palestinian ambassador to the UK praised British and US students for their support for Gaza (Picture: Jeff Moore/PA Wire)
Thousands of protesters gathered in Parliament Square and walked down Piccadilly towards Hyde Park.
Chants of ‘Stop bombing Gaza, stop bombing children’ were sung by the crowds, and a series of placards reading ‘Hand off Gaza colonisers’ and ‘Free Palestine, smash the racists’ amongst others were on display.
After gathering at Hyde Park, pro-Palestinian protesters applauded UK and US university students for their own protests against the Gaza conflict.
Speaking on stage, Palestinian ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot said: ‘Change will come, campus by campus, city by city, country by country.
‘The tide is turning because this is a global movement for change, a global assertion of popular power, of people’s power.’