09 August 2023 , 20:14
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Diane Abbott has deleted a sweary tweet hitting out at Tory MP Lee Anderson after he told asylum seekers they should “f*** off back to France”. She posted on Twitter after 41 people died in the Mediterranean sea near an Italian island.
Emphasising the danger of migrant boat crossings, the veteran MP posted a link to an article about the tragedy, with wording that said: “These migrants have indeed f***ed off. To the bottom of the sea.” The comment sparked outrage on social media with many branding it insensitive to make it in connection to the tragedy. Ms Abbott deleted the tweet shortly after.
The two MPs had exchanged words on social media earlier this week when Ms Abbott said Mr Anderson’s comment was a “new low even for the Tories”. The Conservative MP responded saying she was “wrong again”. “I told illegal migrants to go back to France not genuine asylum seekers."
He added: “Btw [I have] not seen you in Parliament for a few months. Are you on leave or have you said something daft again?” Ms Abbott is currently sitting as an independent MP after having the whip suspended in April after suggesting Jewish, Irish and Traveller people do not face racism.
Mr Anderson was branded “dangerous and divisive” after telling migrants to “f*** off back to France”. He made the comment after only 15 people were moved onto the Bibby Stockholm, which is moored at Portland in Dorset, after others raised complaints. Instead of condemning him, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk insisted Mr Anderson had said “nothing unreasonable”.
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Ms Abbott highlighted the case of 41 migrants who died in a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa. Four survivors told rescuers they were on a boat carrying 45 people, including three children. The four survivors, originally from the Ivory Coast and Guinea, said they were on a boat that had set off from Sfax in Tunisia and sank on its way to Italy. More than 1,800 people have lost their lives so far this year in the crossing from North Africa to Europe.
Hope Not Hate campaigns director Georgie Laming said: "Lee Anderson is Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, right at the heart of his party. They've defended his words and it's morally reprehensible. Words have consequences.... The Conservative Party is rapidly adopting dangerous and divisive tactics. This has to be challenged."
Natasha Tsangarides of Freedom from Torture said: “Time and time again, we’re seeing Government ministers amping up the cruelty of their anti-refugee rhetoric to distract from their own catastrophic mismanagement of both the asylum system and of this country. The dehumanising and inflammatory language used by certain politicians is putting people seeking sanctuary in this country at real risk.”
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