Hackney MP Diane Abbott apologises for ‘racist’ Twitter comments
Apology: Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington
Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott has apologised for comments made on Twitter that were condemned as ‘racist’ by a Conservative MP.
Ms Abbott, the first black woman to be elected as an MP, says she had not meant to generalise when she tweeted on 4 January: “White people love playing ‘divide & rule’”.
Her comment was a response to criticism of media use of the term ‘black community leaders’ during the Stephen Lawrence murder trial.
Labour’s Chuka Umunna said party leader Ed Miliband had told Ms Abbott her remarks were ‘unacceptable’.
In a statement, Ms Abbott, who claims her comments were taken out of context, said: “I apologise for any offence caused. I understand people have interpreted my comments as making generalisations about white people. I do not believe in doing that.”
Abbott claims her original comment: “Refers to nature of 19th Century European colonialism. Bit much to get into 140 characters”, she tweeted soon after the controversy began.
The original tweet was then removed by Ms Abbott.
The comments caused a media storm, with many condemning the Hackney MP and many others coming out in support of her comments. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said Ms Abbott’s comments on twitter were a “stupid and crass generalisation” and called on her to apologise and explain her remarks.
Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi told BBC Radio 5 Live: “This is racism.”
“If this was a white member of Parliament saying that all black people want to do bad things to us he would have resigned within the hour or
be sacked.
“For a shadow minister to hold this sort of view is intolerable, it is wrong, she needs to go.”
But another Tory MP, Robert Halfon, wrote on Twitter: “The Right should know better than to get all PC re [Diane Abbott] – disagree strongly, but let voters decide. Freedom of speech & all that.”
Ms Abbott, who ran for Labour leader in the 2010 contest, was supported by the senior Labour MP Keith Vaz today, who told the BBC that she was doing an “excellent job” as shadow public health minister and had a “great history of supporting the anti-racism struggle”.
“She’s done the right thing in withdrawing her statement and apologising for the offence that’s been caused”, Vaz continued.
We have won
Lost my vote Diane. I am disgusted by your comments.
How can Diane Abbott possibly claim that her comment was taken out of context for crying out loud?! And anyone who’s familiar with her career will realise that she’s not above playing the ‘race card’ when it suits her to.
But hey – it’s clearly not her fault, because it was sent in a Tweet!
Diane Abbott MP – lawyer, TV presenter and Guardian columnist. And now, apparently, a victim of the media. 😉
It was repeated on television yesterday where Andrew Neil tried to question Diane Abbott on her comments that black mothers would fight tooth and nail to get their children into the right school.The implication being that white mothers wouldnt.She replied that she had said all that she would on the matter!Perhaps she was taken out of context.I never knew she was a lawyer,get me a dock brief next time.
It’s pretty offensive how much blind outrage this has generated in the week of the Lawrence verdict. Instead of branding someone a ‘racist’ over some stupid Twitter post, we should be focusing on actual racists who go round killing people because of the colour of their skin!
@Samara: Diane Abbott MP made a remark on Twitter which was unquestionably racist, then tried to fob off a television journalist with patronising, mealy-mouthed excuses for doing so, before breaking off the interview to answer her mobile ‘phone (!). Should we not be able to expect better from someone in high public office?
YouTube video of Diane Abbott being interviewed, following her racist Tweet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6h-NHq8BNw
GSOB – but at least she did it under her own name eh Andrew?
@Nom de Guerre: is this considered a hot dinner party conversation topic in Stoke Newington this weekend? 😉
It always makes me laugh when white people complain of racism!!
It always makes me laugh when black people complain of racism!!
Regarding the Lawrence verdict. I think most of White Britian is still puzzled how this is big news, when countless white kids have been stabbed to death by black or Asian gangs before and since and barely make the local news let alone BBC, ITV and the Guardian.
Antitwat – I really don’t know how you think you know what “most of White Britain” is thinking, but I for one am not aware of “countless white kids” being stabbed to death because of their colour. Besides, stop comparing anti-black racism with anti-white racism they are nothing like the same thing. Stephen Lawrence wasn’t simply the victim of racist murdering thugs, he was also a victim of an institutionally racist police force and establishment.
@GSOB I’m not saying Dianne Abbott was right I just think the term ‘racism’ has been used too liberally. The institutional racism in all areas of the establishment (including the police and parliament) is well documented. Pointing this out- badly- does not mean you are racist. Killing a stranger because of the colour of their skin does.
@Antitwat- surprised you’re on this website- you sound more like a Daily Mail reader! (Also, you seem to added some extra letters onto your name..)
@Samara: a distinction needs to be drawn between between highlighting racist behaviour or remarks, and calling someone ‘a racist’.
Diane Abbott’s remark WAS unquestionably racist, and her subsequent justification of it was frankly pathetic. Personally, I don’t regard her as ‘a racist’ because of this (and would pause before applying that label to anyone), but her comment demonstrated both a serious lack of judgement by an establishment figure, and a very dated perspective on race relations in Britain today.
As a white person, I wasn’t offended by the remark itself; it simply demonstrated to me that Diane Abbott is something of a political dinosaur – probably along with many of her colleagues in parliament.
On the subject of institutional racism, do you not think that this country has advanced considerably since the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993?
@Nom De Guerre – point I’m making is there really a big difference between…
MR ‘A’ – walking up to another person and stabbing them for an iPhone leaving the person slumped and dead.
MR ‘B’ – walking up to another person and shouting NIGGER/HONKEY/PAKI and stabbing them and leaving them slumped and dead?
The end result is the same, someone gets stabbed. Only difference is MR ‘A’ doesn’t get countless news reports and newspaper inches devoted to him and anguished howls of derision from middle class Guardian readers.
go to hackney, look at a black person for a bit longer and they call you a WHITE S***.
black people complain about racism but they are more racist than whites, honestly!!!
jane writes: “go to hackney, look at a black person for a bit longer and they call you a WHITE S***.”
@Jane, there is something seriously wrong with YOU! I am a white man and, if I look at a black man a bit longer in Dalston, I usually end up getting a date!
😉
I always thought and felt that Diane Abbott was racist against white English people and now she’s shown her true “colours” . If a white English person had said anything remotely similir to her nasty , racist remarks , we would be in jail .
I’ve had really nasty remarks sais to me over the last 23 yrs and i feel White middle class English people have been targetted deliberately over the past 25 yrs.
Why hasn’t any Judge or anyone in Government done ANYTHING ( until The Times exposed it ) about poor White English girls who apparently , according to The Times Newspaper ( not me ) have been groomed and raped by muslim criminal/ paedophole gangs all over Britain , but NOTHING AND NOBODY HAS DONE OR SAID ANYTHING – only after The Times exposed this outragious and illegal and sick behaviour and apparently it’s still going on .
Nick Griffin of The BNP tried desparately to tell the world over 10 yrs ago of this unbelievablely sad and atrocious and completely illegal activity right here in Britain / England , but , he was apparently threatened with prison on , i believe , three occasions ? This man was and still is trying to save England from sinking any lower than it already has , abd it’s quite strange that his sir name , i think , is actually Welsh !
What has the present or past Governments done to save these poor , young , Working Class English girls in these appalling conditions which they find themselves in , but , sadly ,with no socail worker or police or MP helping them – until The Times Newspaper had to expose the real ugly truth .
Where DO White English people go now for help if they are attacked sexually , racially or verbally for being English and white in their own country now ?
Are there any lawyers to help them ?
When Ben Kinsella at just 16 years old was knived to death at just a tender age of 16 (?) , all of the people who were responsible were Black , weren’t they ?
I don’t remember anyone shouting “racist attack agaist a white boy” , yet he was white and i think the people who knived him to death were Black ?
Even his sister said “knife crime” has to be stopped , but , i don’t remember her even mentioning the fact her brother was actually knived to death by a gang of Black people ? If a Black boy had been knived to death by a gang of white boys , i ‘m pretty sure this would have been headline news for weeks , maybe months , and it would certainly ( in my opinon and from watching the news every day ) have included this so obvious a part of the attack and killing .
I have received extreme white hate and was so naive and non racist , at first , i didn’t even realise these people were being racist towards me but they soon made me realise .
I’m surprised Black people don’t hate Amercians because it was the Americans who wanted and continued slavery and the British stopped it after 35 yrs, but the Americans wouldn’t stop for years .
It took my ex Jewish borfriend , to open my eyes to the fact English people have also not been treated very well by their own Government – he said , looking up at York Cathedral some twenty years ago “you know, while this was being built by the Church and Government at the time , you English were starving in the streets but you’ve been led to belive somehow you’re special “.
Maybe he was right – we’re all so , so terrified of saying anything outright now , aren’t we ? so i wouldn’t dare actually say this was the truth .
For equality , where do White English people go ?
Are there any lawyers ?
I was deeply hurt and shocked to be told by an Indian woman i couldn’t go to the Woman’s Aid , because it was “for Blacks and Asains only” – this is definate racism against White people – it’s definately sending out a message – whites aren’t wanted here – why separate us from them ? – you wouldn’t go to Italy and start changing the laws there , so , why have Blacks and Asains been allowed to knowingly do this in England ?
In Wales and Scotland , being strongly patriotic is the norm , but , in England , i’ve noticed the English are so terrified of being patriotic for fear of being called “racist” . In Wales , red dragons and Welsh flags are EVERYWHERE , and the Welsh let you know you are in THEIR COUNTRY LOUD AND CLEAR . The English are petrified of being patriotic and are seen as timid and extremely fearful – Welsh people have said this me and they know how English people are being mal treated in their own country because they’ve told me ! Could this be why so many have moved to Wales in the last three years or so ???
It’s lovely living in Wales where you see proud Welsh people displaying their national pride – so sad you don’t see this in England very much and only on a Royal occasion . Wales is covered in Welsh flags , red dragons and strong Welsh voices of deep national and personal pride . England is a scared and timid little country with so much “diversity” the English have all but dissappeared , and i’ve noticed they pretend almost not to be English , especially the middle classes.
Is this what “diversity” really means – to lose your own national idendity , in England , because i don’t see it in Scotish people or in Welsh people – this has nothing to do with “the British Empire” – the Scots were heavily involved in it , but they have no guilt , and , as Jeremy Paxman has told us in his recent Empire television show , the empire actually did good , but i’m afraid it was trendy social worker types of the 1970’s … who forced ( lobbied ) for changes and now we have a nation of timid , scared and weak English people in their own country , but , not in Wales or Scotland .
Diane Abbott should be grateful as she was welcomed into England and has fought to change things , but , now her true “colours” have been shown for what they really are . “The English ” have welcomed every nation and every race into it’s shores , only to have laws changed and used against them .
“EQUALITY” should mean equality .
why did Fiona Bruce have to stop wearing her cross? i was served today in my building society by a young Muslim woman wearing her head scarve
which denoted her religion , so why was Fiona Bruce told to stop wearing her crucifix on the news , a few years ago ?
This is one of thousands of examples of how the English are being mal treated/ abused and not treated equally in their own country .
Could you imagine this happening in France , Italy , Germany etc …
England is
I thought Andrew Neil did a remarkable job when he tried to question Diane Abbott about her snide , racist – veiled remark about “Black mothers would go to the wall to defend their chidren” , thus implying white mothers wouldn’t .
She was incredibly snide and belittling towards Andrew Neil on his own TV show “This Week” , in her half reply , snearing at him , repeating “Andrew” , “Andrew” in such a condescending and loathing tone when he was simply trying to get an answer from her .
The real truth is we white people ( i speak as someone who’s half Welsh , part French , part Scotish ) have had the State , especially under Labour , intervene with family life , to the point where social workers / schools have more power and say in how our children are brought up – this is reflected in the “sameness” of most English White chidren ( sorry – “young people”) all over England.
There was and still is a cloud of fear of being seen to be “different” in English schools , and God help you if you are a bit different , as was my son ( thank god he’s now nearly 18 ) . He was severely bullied for being quietly spoken , well mannered , polite and because he wasn’t engaging in under age sex / drinking / taking drugs .
The bullying was completely denied by the school , by the EWO’s , a cafcass officer , my son’s own lawyer at age just 12 , my lawyer , the father and the Judges ( the father decided to involve “family” courts as an act of revenge for the CSA being involved ) . My son was everely kicked and punched ona regular basis by a Black boy , which was completely ignored by all teachers involved , yet , my son noticed that if anything was said to the Black kid , the teacher came down on them immediately.
My son was so badly bullied and i was desparately trying to get him out of one of the most notorious schools in England , which the well off father had made a Specific Issue Order for and i had been threatened with prison in a “family” court by a Judge if i didn’t keep him in there – i have proof of everything i say .
My son was so badly bullied , he was becoming suicidal yet not one of the “family” court Parties , apart from myself , was trying to help him , even two highly ignorant Doctors simply sent him back , even though we were regularly seeing our GP’s at that time about this .
Because none of the “proffessionals” were at all bothered and my son was sneared at and belittled by two EWO’s to the point where my son then aged just 12 , stood up , shaking and visably terrified because they had just threatened me with prison and told him to return to Isca College of Media Arts in Exeter on the following Monday ,even though they knew he was absolutely terrified of the bullying and had flu ; they even told him it was of his own doing ( i have proof of all i say and more ) ; the two EWO’S were Jim Champion and a Mr McGrath of Exeter EWS .
My son ran upstairs whilst these two EWO’s had reduced him to a terrified , shaking little boy , who after i’d seen the two EWO’s out to their smart 4×4 , i went upstairs to find my son smothered in a duvet , lying still as he later told me “wanting to die” .
This is only the tip of a huge iceberg of continued abuse by the State ( “family” courts”) and the school system , but , would this be allowed to happen if my son had been Black – i think not , going by the behaviour of teachers ( also at another school – Tewkesbury ) .
My son was rushed to Exeter Hospital by me and his God father on 26th April 2008 , because the cafcass officer ( Stephen Williams ) , the father , the two “family” lawyers – my son’s , Penny Scott , and “mine” , Stephen Sowden and the EWO’s and yet again forced by way of yet another court order , to send my son back into this school , and he couldn’t take any more .
It was an officailly failing school and was noted as being “somewhere where most parents avoid sending their chidren to” in a psycholoists report , Dr Shira Rub , which was nowhere to be seen in court on 15th Jan . 2008 . The cafcass and two “family” lawyers had the responsibility of handing the 44 page expert witness report of Dr Shira Rub to Judge Wildblood but as he said “this is all i have ” holding the cafcass officer’s small report in his hand . They had witheld the report which said my son “should be removed from Isca college of media arts ” , giving clear reasons why .
My lawyer even told me if i aggreed to keep my son in Isca , then i could take him to a school of my own choice !
I suppose The Times Newspaper to court in 2008 as they knew exactly the depth and breadth of absolute cprruption within the “family” court system , but, tragically , for all children and innocent parents involved ( and there are many , many thousands ) the Judge declared that “family” courts cannot be “open to protect childrens’ idendity” , in my opinion , from having been subjected to 15 years in “family” courts , as instigated by the father , for whom contact was stopped in 1997 after a thought abuse investigation ( but somehow the paper work relating to this and everything else has been “lost” – everything i have ever asked for to Bristol court’s Judge Rutherford and Worceser county council ) .
As i said , this is just a brief description of the living Hell both my son and i have been subjected to by the father , who seemed so bitterly to resent paying for his son ; embittered ex-partners , and sadly many seem to be men , are in the habit of picking the phone up and calling social services or a “family” lawyer out of shear spite, but , it would be very interesting to know how many White families are being ripped apart as oppossed to Black or Asian ?
I don’t think for one minute schools would have put a Black or Asian child ( “young person “) through anthing like this – according to Bullying.co.uk one child attempts suicide every half hour due to schools not taking seriousely school bullying/thuggery , and 2% of these children actually committ suicide . The book : “BULLYCIDE – DEATH AT PLAYTIME ” by Tim field and Neil marr shows very clearly the massive problem and the absolute tragedies really happening because school teachers and EWO’s don’t care , but , they DO care when it comes to “sexism” or “racism” in schools and from my son’s appalling mal-treatment at two schools , he can clearly see that teachers are absolutely obssessed with “racism” and “sexism” , but going by the huge scale of this problem in Englich schools , i’d like to know exactly the numbers of White children attempting / committing suicide due to schools IGNORING OR BELITTLING SCHOOL THUGGERY/ BULLYING/ VIOLENCE towards White children as well as Black and Asain children in England .
Whilst i was battling with the Head of tewkesbury school about this problem in 2010 , my mother very tragically suddenly died , and i know for sure she was suffering immense stress because of all of this , and the fact Stephen Willaims -cafcass officer , Penny Scott – my son’s lawyer , the father and my lawyer , Stephen Sowden did nothing to help my son regarding the very , very severe school bullying , even after i had to rush him into Exeter Hospital on 26th April 2008, i was summoned to court in Exeter in May 2008 but Penny Scott told Judge Harvey ” I can’t ask you to have linda d’Auncey prosecuted today , your Honour , because she has her son’s medical records with her , which shows her son was off school legally” – this certainly is not what they wanted ( i believe as they’d tried forcing by way of court order after court oredr to force and keep my son in this school – i have proof of all i say ) .
They also stopped the school my son should have and was accepted into near to our family , and the stopping of this small scholl was the last straw for our mother emotionally .
two years later , she died , showing serious but common side effects of a mediacl drug called Avandia – no responsibility re: the Doctor or the drug company .
The years of “family” courts devasted our whole family, and our mother suffered immensely in the last few years of her life directly because of “family” courts , as well as the cocktail of medical drugs she was given , especially Statins and Avandia .
Go to http://www.familyjusticeatthetimes.co.uk to see the real truth of “family” courts and the total and utter devastation they are causing English families right this minute .
Peter Hitchens of The Mail on Sunday wrote a very good and honest article regarding social workers and psychiatrists stealing children from families – Camilla Cavendish of The Times Newspaper was the first person to highlight this absolute atrocity , but , even when it did go the court in 2008 , the Judge said “no” to having open “family” courts .
I wonder why ?
http://www.familyjusticeatthetimes.co.uk shows the truth .
When Diane Abbott whines or spews racist remarks about WHITE PEOPLE , maybe she ought to stop and pause for just one minute in her very cosy life and ask herself ” is life in England really anything special for White English people?” .
Because the real , honest truth is life is not that good for millions of White people in England today and the last thing we need is more racism or unjustified hate-crime coming our way , beacause we certainly DON’T get the help when we need it especially in our politically correct crazed school system – if you’re half decent , you don’t need to be polically correct .
It’s just such a crying shame on our schools and social services that they are not taking serousely White people because why didn’t they or aren’t they looking into the absolutely horrendous and sickening scandel of young , under age White Working Class English girls being sexually and emotionally groomed by muslim paedophile gangs in England today ?
They readilly snatch children from families ( accordging to Camilla Cavendish of the Times “for very flimsy reasons” ) yet show no interest whatsoever , knowing this absolute atrocity is or has been going on right under their noses and they were alerted to this immense problem years ago and did NOTHING until The Times Newspaper exposed it . Nick Griffin had done the same years ago and had been threatened with prison several times for trying to alert everyone to the desparate and terrifying plight of these poor young White Working class girls .
If Black or Asain girls were being groomed by White paedophile crininal gangs , then i think maybe it would have been all over the news and newspapers for years . we would have been made to keep hating ourselves by both communities .
The English hate themselves and each other whereas the Welsh love themselves and love each other – you see a stark difference in Wales yet the English have done no wrong , but , through careful propaganda and trendy social worker types from about 25-30 years ago , implimenting “equality” . “diversity” and making it very trendy to not be White English , they have , in my opinion , completely raped the English White communities of any self respect or self dignity and replaced it with self loathing .
I f England were any more ” diverse” , the English would dissappear completely , and to a large extent , that has already been “achieved” by certain groups in England , but , this has not been allowed to happen in Wales or Scotland , where national pride is still as strong and passionate as ever , and incomers have to adopt to the Welsh or Scotish ways of living or get out .
That’s not racist ; that’s simply national pride , but , there’s so little in England and anyone who does show national pride is very quickly made to feel like a completely unacceptable human being , or worse , a traitor and an odd ball .
In WALES , NO SUCH PROBLEMS EXIST !
The Welsh happily rejoice in all their Welshness every single day with great passion and genuine love of being Welsh and all that it involves in their evrday lives .
Diane Abbott ought to make a visit to Wales one day ; i think she may want to go back to England quite quickly where she obviousely feels very safe in the knowledge she’s surrounded by her own kind , and i don’t mean Black .
And this is only a part of