Brexit: death threats and a harmful climate in the UK

Sunday, September 29, in Manchester, the conservative elected ("Tories") to attend their annual congress were greeted by a banner proclaiming: "130 000 people were killed under the conservative regime.It is time to review the rules" . The banner, referring to a study that concluded that 130,000 deaths were the result of austerity policies since 2012, was hung from a bridge and accompanied by hanged models. The local police opened an investigation.

"I've never felt so worried, is this kind of attack classified as a death threat / terrorist threat?" "Totally naughty," tweeted Kerry Boyd, a local Kent official.

Do not be afraid to see my morning run pre # CPC19. Does this classify as death / terrorist threat? Utterly vile. pic.twitter.com/3beha85IaW

On the first day of party congress in Manchester, the Tories claimed their will to implement Brexit. The rally also provoked fierce protests against the EU's exit, during which conservative Prime Minister Boris Johson was condemned.

An inflatable balloon with the effigy of the former mayor of London, grimed plump baby, floated above the procession. A nod to the doll "Trump Baby" which had been deployed to denounce the lies of the American president during his visit to London in July 2018.

SMR loves #Manchester and The Bowl is rocking! 🎉 Right now, yet another wonderful #RemainerNow takes the stage! The #BorisBlimp is here, the rain is stopped and it's one helluva noise! ​​#BollocksToBoris #NotMyPM #StopBrexit # RevokeA50 👏 pic.twitter.com/WjjxJtdpeX

"Fear of being killed"

Threats of death, verbal escalations ... Whether pro or anti-Brexit, British elected officials of all kinds live for several days of unusual party to the precursory country of parliamentary democracy. A deleterious climate that no doubt contributed to the warlike attitude displayed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his last speech in Parliament.

I'm not scared of an election, I am scared I might be hurt or killed.

"I am not afraid of future elections, I am afraid of being hurt or even killed," tweeted Birmingham Labor MP Jess Phillips on September 25, after the Prime Minister's speech in the House of Commons in a debate over the opposition in which the former mayor of London was extremely tense.

"Surrender" ... "Sabotage" ... Boris Johnson had used a warlike vocabulary when addressing the deputies, after the historic Supreme Court ruling overturned his decision to suspend Parliament. For this member, the outrages of the Prime Minister pollute the public debate and pose threats to elected officials.

Boris Johson facing the House of Commons on September 25

In a brutal confrontation, and in the midst of the vociferations of both sides, the Prime Minister had accused the opposition of having voted "a capitulation law" requiring him to request a postponement of Brexit to the European Union if could not reach an agreement with Brussels.

Like other elected Labor, Jess Phillips said he received death threats via social networks. She even aired a threatening excerpt: "Go to the ditch, that's what happens to those who do not implement the Brexit," an anonymous political opponent, taking a turn employed by Boris Johnson on September 5th.

A man, who had previously insulted her, even tried to break the window of her Birmingham office before being stopped by the police.

"Worst atmosphere" in twenty-two years in Parliament

On September 25, Paula Sherriff, also a threatened Labor Party, spoke in Parliament asking Boris Johnson to "moderate her words".

Labor candidate Paula Sherriff asks Boris Johson to "moderate his words"

In the face of the deleterious climate of these debates, the Speaker of the House of Commons had himself lost his composure. Describing the "worst atmosphere" ever seen in Parliament "in twenty-two years", John Bercow had called for a debate on excessive language in Parliament.

"Please, turn down and try to treat each other as opponents, not enemies," Lord Bercow had later urged.

These threats are reminiscent of the British: in June 2016, Labor MP Jo Cox was murdered by a neo-Nazi just before the Brexit referendum.

On Wednesday, Boris Johnson called charges of verbal abuse a "hoax" and said the best way to honor Jo Cox's memory was to "implement Brexit".

Brendan Cox, husband of the elected, said "shocked" on the BBC by the words of the Prime Minister. He also called political figures on both sides to a greater degree. "There is a willingness to decry the other side when they use language like 'capitulation', 'traitor' or 'betrayal' [...] Those who use the expressions 'coup d'état', 'dictatorship' and 'fascism' are also incendiaries ".