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‘This is for Gaza’: UK politician wins by-election in blow to Labour Party

A left-wing United Kingdom politician has registered a landslide win in a parliamentary by-election on a platform promising to advocate for Gaza.

George Galloway won the seat in the northern English town of Rochdale after a fractious campaign, which saw the Labour Party withdraw support from its candidate over his anti-Israel comments.

Galloway won 12,335 votes compared with 6,638 for second-placed David Tully, an independent candidate. The former Labour candidate, Azhar Ali, came fourth after the opposition party pulled its support after he was recorded espousing conspiracy theories about Israel. Turnout was low at 39.7 percent.

“Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza,” Galloway said on Friday, referring to the Labour leader who initially refused to call for a ceasefire in Gaza where more than 30,000 people have been killed in the past five months of Israeli bombardment.

Late on Friday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who supports Israel’s war, said the election of Galloway to a parliamentary seat was “beyond alarming” and accused him of dismissing Hamas’s October 7 attack.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

ITT

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/3840b601-02d7-478c-8443-2ad82d55a69f.png

corymbia ,

I’m all for condemnation of Israel’s OTT war on Palestine, but TBH George Galloway is a shitcunt.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

“I want to condemn israel but actually not really fuck anyone that does that”.

gmtom ,

I get you’re just a troll or maybe a useful idiot, but no its not an attack on people who support Palestine to call Galloway a shitcunt.

The man was a fanboy for Saddam Hussein and Bashar al-Assad, he supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supported China’s brutal crackdown on protests in Hong Kong, denies the existence of Uighur concentration camps, started off as pro-EU during brexit then suspiciously flipped halfway through when he started working for RT, also worked for Syrian and Iranian state media. And also excused the rape of sleeping woman as little more than “bad manners”

I fully support many people that condemn Israel, but galloway is just a terrible terrible person, right down to his core.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Who is George Galloway, the British politician who has won Rochdale?

How has the man who appeared to defend Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait and dressed as a cat on Celebrity Big Brother overturned a Labour Party stronghold?

Galloway later claimed that he was saluting the people of Iraq, not Saddam Hussein himself. But his comments prompted the politician’s many political detractors to accuse him of supporting an oppressive Iraqi regime. It also heralded the arrival of “indefatigability” – a hitherto rarely used word – into the British public mainstream where, for many Britons of a certain age, it retains a somewhat comical link to Galloway.

gmtom ,

Galloway later claimed that he was saluting the people of Iraq, not Saddam Hussein himself.

“Nono, theyre saying boo-urns”

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Understanding Galloway means you need to have a basic comprehension about America wanting to invade Iraq to steal their oil. Which America then did after the Galloway speech which very much proves Galloway’s point. Something about WMD’s in Iraq.

Remind me again, did they find those very dangerous WMD’s in Iraq?

An understanding of Geopolitics means more than “israel bad” (though israel bad is a great starting point)

gmtom ,

These responses have to be some knock-off chat GPT stuff right? Because theres no way an actual person would purposefully conflate the 2 invasions of Iraq, right?

Because there was the first one in 1991 in response to the invasion of Kuwait, that is generally seen as justified (since Iraq was literally invading another independent nation). The one where Galloway justified the invasion of kuwait saying Kuwait was "clearly a part of the greater Iraqi whole stolen from the motherland by perfidious Albion " and then when he met Saddam himself told him "Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability.” (allegedly talking about the Iraqi people, but if you believe that then ive got a bridge to sell you).

Then there was the second one in 2003, which was the one mostly seen as unjustified, where George Bush lied about WMDs as a pretext to invasion to secure western oil companies interests in the region.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Oops my bad you are right I misread that one I thought it was 2003 because of the 2004 date

In his 2004 book, I’m Not the Only One, Galloway appeared to defend Iraq

I’m going to have to more look into the Kuwait invasion understand Galloway’s statement here. The Kuwait invasion is not one I have looked into deeply so I don’t understand where these statements come from.

Churbleyimyam ,

George Galloway is not a serious politician.

RizzRustbolt ,

He’s got tankie-face.

FarceOfWill ,

Unfair to tankies. He really is that awful.

zabadoh ,

The summary doesn’t mention it, but the caption in the article photo says that George Galloway is the head of the Workers Party Of Britain, a socialist party that he founded in 2019.

Their Wikipedia entry describes them as euroskeptics, anti-NATO, and says their website “defend[s] the achievements of the USSR, China, Cuba etc, not least the debt owed by humanity to the Soviet Union and Red Army in their war of liberation against German fascism”

Wikipedia also describes the party as “adopting social conservatism, such as its rejection of gender self-identification.”

So social conservatives who admire Russia, China, etc.

What a weird world we live in…

Kusimulkku ,

Sounds like a tankie party

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Anti Imperialism? Tankieeeee

Kusimulkku ,

I’ve seen the people who claim to support anti-imperialism supporting Russian and Chinese territorial ambitions.

It’s like when Americans talk about being for freedom. Do you take them on their word on that or look at what they are actually supporting?

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

The second of course. So did you take a look at what George Galloway’s positions are on that?

Kusimulkku ,

No, I commented based on the above reply, if that wasn’t immediately clear.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

My understanding of your comment is that you implied that Galloway is “supporting Russian and Chinese territorial ambitions.” As the above user called it a “tankie party”.

Did I not understand that correctly?

Kusimulkku ,

I said it sounds like a tankie party based on the description from the OP of this chain. Then you (as I understand it) said it couldn’t be because it is anti-imperialist and I replied how it sometimes it’s a term tankies use without actually meaning it.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

I said that anti-imperialism does not equate being a Tankie. Which seems to be the new favorite slander word for liberals to paint anyone who is critical of American imperialism for.

Kusimulkku ,

I feel like you’re using “anti-imperialism” to describe what most would call a “tankie”. Which would mean we are in agreement but we just use the terms differently or disagree about their meaning.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

A tankie is someone who specifically condones and/or denies the Genocides (or extremely stupid economic policies) by Stalin or Mao, or apologizes for/denies every crime the CCP/Russia commits.

Anti imperialsm and tankies are two entirely different things.

Kusimulkku ,

I mean I agree with that all, though I’d say it also includes just includes simping for Russia, China these days. Especially supporting the invasion of Ukraine and so on. The OP’s description gave eerie tankie vibes.

Until George Galloway’s Rochdale byelection win, few may have taken notice of the Workers party beyond those intrigued by the minutiae of the far left. Others may have flicked through some of its literature, such as “Ukraine and the origins of the special military operation”, a 44-page pamphlet using Vladimir Putin’s term for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and echoing Kremlin talking points on the conflict.

On other foreign policy fronts, the party is starkly at odds with the UK political mainstream, and unafraid to publicise it. In the week that Galloway won in Rochdale, a Workers party delegation was taking part in the ‘World Festival of Youth’ in Russia.

Their own site:

The Russian intervention in Ukraine, depicted ludicrously by Boris Johnson as an unprovoked attack upon a democratic country, is in fact the very belated response to a slowly unfolding aggression against Russia which has been waged over three decades. The military challenge to this long erosion of Russian security has been a long time coming and is heartily welcome.’

The whole article is, jeesh

workerspartybritain.org/…/nato-and-russia-a-brief…

So yeah…

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

He is not saying he supports Russia. He is saying that the 2008 statement to include Ukraine into Nato was very provocative. Especially since Nato previously guaranteed that Ukraine would not become a member.

This is extremely difficult to understand for people who only consume liberal media where Imperialism is good and we were the good guys in Afghanistan. It does not equate saying “Russia good”. It means “Hey guys maybe there’s a reason why Russia is attacking Ukraine, maybe we can promise to not include them in Nato and then they will stop, because they have said multiple times before the attack that this Nato expansion is not something they’re comfortable with and we promised them in the past we would not do it”.

In 2008, NATO began the same trick with Ukraine, grooming it for eventual membership, but by now alarm bells were ringing in Moscow. Already in 2007 Putin had spoken out bluntly in opposition to those who wanted to establish a unipolar world. He objected to NATO enlargement and its planting of ballistic missile defences in eastern Europe.

If you want to understand that position here is a clear video about it

Kusimulkku ,

The whole of the article is word for word the Kremlin peddled nonsense that you’d expect from a tankie. Whether you agree with it or not isn’t really the point but rather that that’s literally what people call tankie stuff these days.

where imperialism is good

I’m against Russian invasion though

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Same. I’m also against Nato expanding though. Everyone creating their own giant war block is a recipe for ww3.

Kusimulkku ,

I’m not if it is by countries willfully joining it. Hell, I was for very long time against Finland joining NATO but Russia had to be Russia. Would you have been fine with Russia attacking us to prevent us from joining? Should be the country’s own decision, not decided by Russia (or the US).

Tbh this is a bit off-topic, but I don’t mind

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

We promised Russia not to expand Nato eastward. Which gets very well explained with multiple examples in the video I linked earlier.

The reason Russia is invading is literally the Nato expansion, they directly cited that. They even offered to stop and retreat if a treaty would be signed that Ukraine would not enter into Nato. Boris Johnson then personally went to Ukraine and told Zelensky to refuse because they would rather throw Ukrainians into the meatgrinder so they can place ballistic missles on the border.

The problem is that you are still under the assumption that Nato never attacks. But it does, as we’ve seen in libya Nato is not a defensive organization they steal people’s oil and natural resources. Imperialism

Now we have Russia joining with China and Iran to create their own big war block. Just like how everyone got dragged into WW2.

Kusimulkku ,

If Ukraine wanted to join they should’ve been allowed to. It’s their choice, not Russia’s. What are they, some sort of Russian vassal or something? It’s insane to justify a foreign invasion on the grounds that a country isn’t following a foreign policy that you’d want them to.

I wonder why they wanted to join… And why Finland joined immediately after Russia attacked Ukraine.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

As you keep avoiding, and the main point, Nato promised Russia to not do that.

If Russia would start putting Ballistic missiles in Mexico would that be fine with you?

Kusimulkku , (edited )

I just think it’s irrelevant. It doesn’t justify an invasion! There’s been a pinky promise after German unification 30 years ago (no actual treaties, nothing concrete) (E: even that level of assurance is debated) and that’s being used as justification over attacking Ukraine and annexing parts of it. Ridiculous. Not to mention Russia pinky promised not to attack Ukraine and they broke that. What now, is the US justified in attacking them? Of course not.

If Russia would start putting Ballistic missiles in Mexico would that be fine with you?

Sure. Would you say USA was justified in invading them over that? I wouldn’t. Not to mention USA invading if Mexico wanted to seek closer ties to Russia or China or whoever. That’d be an obvious violation of Mexican right of self-determination and imperialistic behaviour from USA.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

That wikipedia page has some very interesting quotes near the top

The Jewish Labour Movement called the result a “triumph for hope and decency” over Galloway’s “toxic politics”. Galloway vowed to challenge the result on the basis of an alleged “false statement” made about him by Leadbeater and Starmer, which he said tipped the result of the by-election.

Totally doesn’t look edited by the IDF for out-of-context cherry picked statements. Move along everyone nothing to see here.

Kusimulkku ,

Seems like this party has had quite a few allegations of antisemitism

The party has defended Williamson, who was suspended from the Labour Party for his comments about antisemitism allegations in the Labour Party, and Ken Livingstone, who left the party following allegations of antisemitism.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Who made those antisemitism allegations? What anti-semitic things did they say can you quote that?

Kusimulkku ,

It’s from the same Wikipedia article. This seems to be the citation for the quoted part

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Okay that’s cool can you quote the anti-Semitic thing that he said? I am not finding it.

You think maybe the IDF edited that Wikipedia page?

Kusimulkku ,

Does the link not work for you? It loads for a while but opens for me. Here’s the full article in picture form.

I think this is the part Wikipedia is citing:

“A vision statement on its website embraces Brexit, denounces the Labour Party for remaining “committed to capitalism” and suggests its former leader Jeremy Corbyn, “Was harangued as an anti-Semite in a disgraceful campaign of Goebbelsian fiction”.

The party has also gone on record to defend former Labour members Chris Williamson and Ken Livingstone.

Former Derbyshire MP Mr Williamson was suspended by the party after saying Labour had been “too apologetic” over anti-Semitism, while former London mayor Mr Livingstone resigned his membership after being accused of making anti-Semitic comments.

Mr Carpenter stood by the Workers Party’s position and insisted both men had done nothing wrong.

He said: “People aren’t questioning this narrative that’s been put to them from the centre. They all play the same game, whether it’s Labour, the Tories, the Lib Dems or even the Greens.””

You think maybe the IDF edited that Wikipedia page?

Uhh, I have no idea? I mean from the Wakefield Express article and just googling it looks like there’s been some actual antisemitism row about this party, so it’s not made up (the row/allegations I mean), if that’s what you meant.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Jeremy Corbyn is a UK hero lauded for not bending the knee to the israeli lobby. Which famously always try to picture him as anti-semitic because he says Free Palestine.

Your link contains no anti-Semitic statement. I’m asking you once again, can you quote the anti-Semitic statement? Surely if he said anything anti-Semitic it shouldn’t be hard for you to find.

Kusimulkku ,

I’m not sure if you think I’m the one making the argument or if you just want my help in finding what the allegations are about. Please clarify.

I’m asking you once again, can you quote the anti-Semitic statement? Surely if he said anything anti-Semitic it shouldn’t be hard for you to find.

Searching for “Corbyn antisemitism” it seems like the row is mostly about his actions or rather in-action against alleged antisemitism. Well, not counting this

The book, which Mr Corbyn in 2011 described as a “great tome”, has been criticised as anti-Semitic because it argues that European finance was driven “by men of a singular and peculiar race who have behind them many centuries of financial experience”.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

We’re talking about George Galloway here.

Also your evidence is that Corbyn praised another person’s book which contains one specific line? Did Corbyn praise that particular line? Or did someone read the entire book the conveniently find it and even remove part of a sentence?

You are reaching really hard here. As I said, show me the anti-Semitism from Galloway.

Kusimulkku ,

You seem to have completely misunderstood what is happening here. You seem to be under the impression that we are debating about whether the party is antisemitic or not, while I just shared that they’ve had their share of allegations about antisemitism, which is really not subject to debate (or shouldn’t be) but rather just something that has happened.

Also your evidence is that Corbyn praised another person’s book which contains one specific line

a “great tome”

"it argues that European finance was driven “by men of a singular and peculiar race who have behind them many centuries of financial experience”

He seems to have been under constant accusations of antisemitism. Not the best move to call a book that has lines like that a “great tome” if you ask me. Fuel to fire, at the very least. And I don’t think he denied the antisemitism in the book, but called it a “work of its time”. That’s a terrible look no matter which way you look at it.

But in any case, I’m not here to debate Corbyn’s antisemitism. I just said that this party’s allegations of antisemitism comes partly from their defence of Corby who has had plenty of allegations himself.

I get that you want to debate me on this antisemitism or clear the name of these parties or persons, but I was just saying that the party has had plenty of allegations. Wikipedia article bringing them up doesn’t seem particularly sus since the allegations are real, no matter how we view the veracity of those allegations.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Yes that is a from 1903 book which contains one line which Corbyn never said he agreed with. It was not written by Corbyn. In all old books you can find and cherry pick lines that are currently not fully accepted. Make sure you never read an MLK speech you’d condemn the heck out of em.

These associations included hosting a meeting where Holocaust survivor and anti-Zionist political activist Hajo Meyer compared Israeli actions in Gaza to elements of the Holocaust

Wow very anti-semitic. So many allegations of Corbyn supporting Gaza against their Genocidal oppressor. He must be super anti-Semitic.

Anything serious? I have read the zero effort copy pastes you brought. Please find an actual quote or don’t respond.

Kusimulkku ,

Yes that is a from 1903 book which contains one line which Corbyn never said he agreed with. It was not written by Corbyn. In all old books you can find and cherry pick lines that are currently not fully accepted. Make sure you never read an MLK speech you’d condemn the heck out of em.

I’m not sure if you’re trying to explain the situation to me or what, but it was never unclear. The article talked about all this. And I don’t think you typically write the foreword to a book yourself to begin with. It’s just a terrible look to have this “great tome” comment and your foreword on a book that has antisemitic stuff like that.

In all old books you can find and cherry pick lines that are currently not fully accepted.

“Fully accepted”, it was just the straight up Jews control the banks stuff. It has probably been fully accepted last time in the 40s hah.

Anything serious? I have read the zero effort copy pastes you brought. Please find an actual quote or don’t respond.

This was the part you should’ve read:

“You seem to have completely misunderstood what is happening here. You seem to be under the impression that we are debating about whether the party is antisemitic or not, while I just shared that they’ve had their share of allegations about antisemitism, which is really not subject to debate (or shouldn’t be) but rather just something that has happened.”

“I get that you want to debate me on this antisemitism or clear the name of these parties or persons, but I was just saying that the party has had plenty of allegations. Wikipedia article bringing them up doesn’t seem particularly sus since the allegations are real, no matter how we view the veracity of those allegations.”

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

The allegation you linked was basically Corbyn saying Free Palestine and an israeli lobby calling it anti-Semitic. And he said that israel committed Genocide, which is supposedly also anti-Semitic. Is everyone one Lemmy anti-Semitic too?

Kusimulkku ,

Are you talking about the Wikipedia article?

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Yes did you read it before posting it?

Kusimulkku ,

I did and the top articles that came up when searching it. Not all of them because there’s been loads, it seems.

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Yes and they are all from people that call criticism of israel anti-Semitic. Do you realize that?

Kusimulkku ,

It really doesn’t seem like that if you go through the different accusations. But again, what I said was

Seems like this party has had quite a few allegations of antisemitism

I don’t think we disagree on that?

Linkerbaan OP ,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

No we do disagree on that. If I post 20 comments accusing you of murder without any evidence you don’t have “a lot of allegations that you committed murder.”

This is clearly a futile converstation

Kusimulkku ,

If I post 20 comments accusing you of murder without any evidence you don’t have “a lot of allegations that you committed murder.”

I mean if you’d have 20 people accusing me of the same thing over the years I’d think it’s fair to say I’ve had quite a few lemmings accusing me of murder.

This is clearly a futile converstation

I mean I tried to explain what I said but you’ve just wanted to take it in all kinds of directions. It might not always be a fruitful convo if you do that.

WaxedWookie ,

Sounds bas- ah fuck - they’re tankies.

Gradually_Adjusting ,
@Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world avatar

Rochdale, town north of Manchester. Will have to visit sometime.

Fudoshin ,
@Fudoshin@feddit.uk avatar

Wouldn’t if I was you.

Mr_Blott ,

I can confirm that Rochdale is a fucking skeleton shitehole of a town

If you like betting shops, mobile phone covers, or kebab takeaways, you’ll be masturbating in the street. You won’t be the only one

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