Galloway returns to the British Parliament for the fourth time (French)

London -

It is not an exaggeration that the British media described the early elections - which took place in the Rochdale constituency in the city of Manchester - as “the Gaza elections.” The events that accompanied the electoral campaign and the election results show that “Gaza has become influential in the British political scene,” according to Chris Mason, affairs editor. BBC politics.

These elections resulted in the arrival of the controversial politician George Galloway to Parliament again. He is known for his positions in support of Palestine and critical of Israel, which is why it was not a coincidence that he said after announcing his success that “this victory is for Gaza.”

Basic file

These elections showed two basic things:

  • The first is that Gaza will be one of the main issues presented in the general elections scheduled to be held in the coming months.

  • The second issue is the influence of the Muslim voice in many parliamentary seats.

The Rochdale seat was traditionally held by the Labor Party for more than two decades, before Muslims in the region, who constitute 30% of the population, decided to boycott this party because of its position of rejecting the call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and indeed it obtained the worst results during these elections. As a result of this in this department for more than half a century.

With all satisfaction, Representative Galloway spoke to Al Jazeera Net about his victory in the “Rochdale” constituency, stressing that it does not only express the voices of the Muslim minority “that strongly supported me, but that I express the voices of tens of thousands who are angry at the policies of the Labor and Conservative parties that are complicit in the genocide being committed against them.” Palestinians in Gaza.

Galloway, who will return to Parliament for the fourth time in its history, considered that "those who voted for me want the British political class to take action to confront the injustice and cruelty to which the Palestinians are exposed in Gaza."

#George_Galloway won the vacant seat in the British Parliament for the city of Manchester. It was contested yesterday, Thursday. Galloway, who supports the Palestinian cause and rejects the aggression on #Gaza, achieved an overwhelming result even though he ran on behalf of the little-known Shaghaleen Party.

Galloway outperformed the candidates of the Conservative Party, the Labor Party, and the Liberal Party... pic.twitter.com/YDvZf3jD5j

- Jalel Ouerghi Jalal Al-Warghi (@jalelouerghi) March 1, 2024

Clear transformation

Galloway compared previous years to the current situation in terms of the volume of support for Palestine, stressing that “years ago, the voices supporting Palestine were small groups without political weight or strong popular influence. Now we can mobilize thousands in central London to express our rejection of what Israel is committing against the rights of the people.” "Palestinian."

This British politician expressed his conviction that there is a clear shift in British public opinion, “which we will not only feel in the streets, but also in the ballot boxes, as the position on the Palestinian issue has become a fundamental factor directing the voice of the British voter, a point that has become disturbing to the political elite, especially in my party.” Workers and governors.

He expected that the mood of the British voter had changed dramatically, especially among those supporting the Palestinian cause, and that when they went to vote, they would punish everyone who hesitated to support Gaza. He stressed, "Therefore, I ran in order to defend these people, and the result appeared exactly as I expected."

Galloway, who was a former Labor MP before he left it, sent a strongly worded message to party leader Keir Starmer, saying that "continuing his position in support of Israel's policies, without a clear position on the ceasefire in Gaza, will cause the party electoral losses that it did not expect." .

He added that his victory in these early elections "will cause a shock in the ranks of the Labor Party and will break the Labor-Conservative dualism that dominates British political decisions."

A capable voice

For his part, British journalist and editor of “Tribune” magazine, Taj Muhammad, criticized the political class and even analysts because they “deliberately ignored the demands of British Muslims,” explaining that “when all opinion polls indicated a significant decline in British Muslims’ support for the Labor Party, politicians and even analysts deliberately To minimize the matter and pass over it quickly as if it is not worth stopping at.”

Galloway criticized the Labor leadership for how it "did not make any effort to listen to the demands of British Muslims," ​​wondering whether the results of the Rochdale constituency would push the party leadership to reconsider its calculations, especially after the Muslim voice demonstrated that it had become organized and capable of influencing.

The journalist responded to those who accuse British Muslims of giving priority to a foreign issue in their votes, saying, “The British political class has preoccupied the entire country with the relationship with the European Union at the expense of the country’s issues, including the crisis in the health and housing sectors.”

Source: Al Jazeera