Archive: Disputing Claims of Thuggery levelled at Jeremy Corbyn Supporters

Some “Thugs” at a Pro-Corbyn Rally in Parliament Square

The Establishment Media and MPs have really gone to town recently on this idea that Corbyn’s Labour Party is riven with bullying, intimidation, even racism, homophobia and misogyny.

Sadly, they seem to have turned this trope into accepted fact, on the basis of practically no evidence, just by virtue of them saying so.

In fact nearly all the major “intimidation” stories that have made the headlines have been credibly disputed and in many cases disproven.

As there have been many of these now, I thought it would be useful to pull them all together for easy reference and for use on message boards.

I will be adding to this as time goes on, and please don’t hesitate to send me your own examples:

Accusation 1: Angela Eagle was subjected to homophobic abuse at the CLP Meeting which urged her to support Jeremy Corbyn (at which, in fact, she was not present)

Rebuttal: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2016/07/homophobic-slurs-against-angela-eagle-wallasey-ive-only-experienced

(The writer, who is gay, is the daughter of the woman who chaired the meeting)

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Accusation 2: Angela Eagle was forced to cancel an event in Luton owing to threats/safety fears.

Rebuttal:

(The hotel management cancelled the event because they did not want to host a political/Labour gathering)

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Accusation 3: A Photo of someone wearing a T-Shirt at a Pro-Corbyn rally that said “Eradicate Blairite Vermin”

Rebuttal:

(In the interest of fairness I should point out that it has since emerged that while the two people flanking him are from Progress and Portland PR the man wearing the T-Shirt is a genuine Corbyn Supporter. Here is an interview with him)

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Accusation 4: The AGM of the Brighton & Hove Consituency Labour Party, at which a Pro-Corbyn slate of Officers was elected, was riven with bullying and intimidation by Momentum thugs (these accusations have led the NEC to suspend the party and cancel the election of these Officers)

Rebuttal:

and some pictures of the AGM in question:

https://medium.com/@GregHadfield/selection-of-photographs-taken-either-in-the-annual-meeting-in-the-main-hall-or-outside-city-de4b4754a929#.18bnccwe8

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Accusation 5: The Bristol West Constituency Labour Party AGM was riven with heckling and intimidation from a Momentum Mob.

Rebuttal:

Photo of AGM in Question

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Accusation 6: NEC Member Johanna Baxter (who supported Yvette Cooper for the Leadership last year) was left reeling by an avalanche of intimidatory e-mails trying to influence her vote on whether Corbyn should automatically be allowed on the leadership ballot. Channel 4 News made a big splash on this and the reporter was asked to provide her evidence.

Rebuttal:

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Accusation 7: Angela Eagle’s Constituency Office Window had a brick thrown through it. This was immediately taken up as a cause celebre by disingenuous Labour MPs, and the press uncritically accepted their claim that this was an act of political violence perpetrated by Corbynistas. Even had the brick been thrown through Eagle’s window it would be libellous to make assumptions with no evidence about who threw it or why. And then……..

Rebuttal:

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Accusation 8: Ruth Smeeth MP was subjected to an anti-Semitic rant by a “Jeremy Corbyn Supporter” at the press conference to present Shami Chakrabarti’s report on Anti-Semitism.

Rebuttal:

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Accusation 8: Angela Eagle (that’s right) claimed that she had been advised by Police not to hold a surgery this week for safety reasons.

Rebuttal:

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Accusation 9: Connor McGinn MP, one of Corbyn’s most implacable opponents was intimidated by Momentum Thugs picketing his constituency office and entering it illegally.

Rebuttal:

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Accusation 10: Anti-Corbyn MP and Front Bench Resignee Seema Malhotra had her office broken into and it’s contents scrutinised by Corbyn’s staff.

Rebuttal:

(In summary, the office was tied to the role that Malhotra had resigned from A MONTH AGO. The office was entered by Commons Staff who were checking to see if she had moved out, but regardless of that, the office was tied to a role that Malhotra had resigned from A MONTH AGO)

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And finally…..Some stories of anti-Corbyn Thuggery

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Further Reading: http://anotherangryvoice.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/why-are-labour-coup-plotters.html?m=1

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jeremy-corbyn-momentum-sexism-female-mps-supporters-i-work-in-the-office-this-is-what-i-think-a7166136.html

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