Diane Abbott hits out at ‘degree of racism nonetheless in Britain’ as MP is cheered by supporters at rally | Politics Information

Diane Abbott has appeared at a rally the place she hit out on the “degree of racism that’s nonetheless in Britain” following a row over feedback made about her.

Ms Abbott was greeted in Hackney, east London, with cheers and chants of “I stand with Diane” after a Tory donor’s reported offensive remarks.

The previous Labour MP praised the folks of Hackney whom she mentioned “stood by her – yr after yr, decade after decade”.

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Within the wake of the race row, she mentioned: “This isn’t about me, that is concerning the degree of racism that’s nonetheless in Britain. That is about the best way that black girls are disrespected.”

The MP for Hackney and Stoke Newington, who was suspended from the parliamentary Labour Social gathering final yr, went on to say her mom got here to Britain within the Fifties as a nurse.

“She was in that technology of black girls who constructed the nationwide well being service,” she mentioned.

Ms Abbott, who at present sits as an impartial MP within the Commons, attended the rally days after feedback by Tory donor Frank Hester emerged in The Guardian.

He reportedly mentioned at a 2019 assembly that she made him “need to hate all black girls” and that she “ought to be shot”.

Mr Hester, who’s the chief govt of The Phoenix Partnership, mentioned he was “deeply sorry” for the remarks, however insisted that they had “nothing to do together with her gender nor color of pores and skin”.

The Conservatives have confronted strain to return the cash Mr Hester has donated to the get together within the wake of the row, which is known to whole £15m since 2019.

There have additionally been calls amongst Ms Abbott’s supporters for her to be allowed again into the parliamentary Labour Social gathering once more by having the whip restored.

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Ms Abbott had the Labour whip faraway from her final yr following feedback she made within the Observer through which she mentioned Jewish, Irish and Traveller folks don’t face “racism” however as a substitute endure prejudice just like “redheads” – one thing for which she later apologised.

On Friday evening, The Impartial reported Ms Abbott had not had the Labour whip restored as a result of she refused to participate in antisemitism coaching – one thing she rejected as a “blatantly shoddy piece of journalism”.

The Labour Social gathering has mentioned it doesn’t touch upon particular person instances.