‘Selfless’ Diane Abbott celebrated at Queen of Hoxton after hashtag craze

Diane Abbott and Stephanie Ozuo (Photo: Stefan Foster)

Hackney MP Diane Abbott was celebrated at a benefit event in Hoxton after her re-election with an increased majority of 35,000 votes.

More than 200 people attended the event at the Queen of Hoxton on Wednesday, 21 June, to show solidarity with the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington after she received abuse during the election campaign.

Stephanie Ozuo, 22, who works in IT, started a hashtag to defend Abbott who stepped down as Labour’s shadow Home Secretary ahead of the 8 June vote for health reasons.

Speaking to the Citizen, Ozuo said: “Initially this was just a hashtag #AbbottAppreciation as an act of solidarity to show people we still support her, due to the undue criticism and vile hatred she was getting online and in the media as well. It was just too much.”

Ozuo arranged a hamper for Abbott while the hashtag campaign received support from across the world.  “People weren’t happy with the treatment that a black female politician was getting”, said Ozuo.

She decided to organise an event for Abbott to raise money for the Sickle Cell Society – a cause the MP has championed.

“I thought it would be good to celebrate her life because it was long overdue”, she said.

The event was attended by fellow Labour MPs Clive Lewis, Keith Vaz, Kate Osamor, Marsha Decordova and Eleanor Smith.

Ozuo, who lives in South London, was pleased to meet Abbott for the first time.

“It was the first time I had ever met her”, she said. “It was amazing to meet her in the flesh.

“What I saw was like my mother. It was a very humble, down-to-earth woman.”

Ozuo added: “She was so sweet and kind. She took pictures with every single person, even when she was getting into her cab. She’s so selfless.”

In a speech at the event, the Hackney MP chose to talk about the Grenfell Tower fire victims rather than her own career or experiences.

Ozuo said: “That’s a sign of her character that she would put people before herself even at an event about her.”