“George Galloway, the MP for Glasgow Kelvin was expelled after being found guilty of charges that he had urged British troops to defy illegal orders, incited Arab troops to fight British forces, and supported non-Labour anti-war candidates.”
“Dismay spread as the news that he was to be expelled broke on a Pakistani television channel an hour before the party’s disciplinary committee even told Galloway himself.”
“But the dissident MP vowed that he would fight on. “I’m not going away,” he told Aljazeera.net. “I’ll continue to speak my mind whether inside the Labour Party, or outside it, whether inside parliament or outside it.””
“Galloway’s supporters […] believe he has been victimised for having once describing Tony Blair and George Bush as behaving “like wolves” in attacking Iraqi civilians.””
““I’m shocked and appalled that George could have been expelled after years of service to the party,” his fellow MP Jeremy Corbyn told me in a voice bristling with barely suppressed emotion.”
““He was not inciting anyone to attack British troops. He was pointing out the dangers that British troops were placed in. He has been expelled because he opposed the war, and because he told the truth.””
“In a worrying twist for Tony Blair, Corbyn also suggested that the move could lead to a split in the party. “I personally feel very sad and angry that my party has descended to these depths,” he said.”
“The consensus in the Muslim community seemed to be that an MP who had taken a rare stand of principle on an issue close to his constituents’ hearts was being victimised for having had the bravery to speak out.”
“For the Stop the War Coalition, John Rees said, “I think it’s come to a very sad pass indeed when someone with as much guts and principles as George Galloway can’t stand as a Labour Party candidate.”
Read more: Galloway expelled as Blair takes revenge
Related (video): Don’t Fight in This Illegal War: British MP George Galloway Explains Why He Is Telling Soldiers to Resist Orders in Iraq
2021-week09
