Labour’s Jess Phillips was heckled and booed during a victory speech while she revealed the shocking harassment of women in politics.
Labour MP Reveals Misogyny
A female Labour MP has admitted that women in politics have been bullied by men in her constituency throughout the campaign.
Men Harassing Women
According to Jess Phillips, a group of men were targeting her throughout the six-week campaign leading up to the general election.
Phillips Heckled During Victory Speech
Phillips revealed the information in an emotional speech, during which men heckled her, after she retained her seat in the constituency of Birmingham Yardley.
Celebrations Turned Sour
Phillips only narrowly retained her seat, beating the Workers’ Party candidate, Jode McIntyre, by 693 votes. However, celebrations turned sour.
Phillips Revealed Harassment
Phillips revealed some shocking stories of male harassment towards women during her campaign, calling out misogyny in politics.
Tyres Slashed by Assaulters
According to Phillips, a group of males assaulted campaign activists in Birmingham by slashing their tyres and filming the abuse.
War in Gaza
The assault was due to a difference in opinion on the war in Gaza, with those responsible for the assault claiming they were pro-Palestine.
Using War as a Reason to Assault Women
Phillips believes that those responsible did not really care about the lives of Muslim people and were using it as a reason to attack women.
“Aggressive” and “Intimidatory”
Philips said during her speech that the abuse was “the most aggressive [and] most intimidatory” for the people in the constituency.
Fearing God
According to Phillips, people were “being intimidated” and “being told that God will judge them if they vote a certain way.”
Humiliation as a Political Driver
Phillips claimed that those responsible were filming the event to “drive content” and insisted that modern politics was about humiliation.
“Humiliation by Men, to Women”
Phillips said, “In my constituency, the humiliation was by men, to women”, showing the misogyny and intimidation on display throughout the campaign.
Content Driving Politics
“And they wish to drive content… that’s what our politics has become – humiliation. Content-driven grift,” she said.
Attackers Do “Nothing” to Help Gaza
Phillips claimed, “I know they’re not here to defend themselves, but they have done absolutely nothing to help a single person in Gaza.”
Bullying Women in Politics
Phillips said that the attackers only “bullied and picked on mainly women” as the audience heckled her.
Hecklers Chant “Shame”
Audience members were heard chanting “shame on you” and “free Palestine”, to which Phillips responded with resilience.
Phillips’ Controlled Response
Phillips told the hecklers, “I will carry on with my speech. I understand that a strong woman standing up to you is met with such reticence.”
Spoiling the Campaign
Other female Labour MPs, including Shabana Mahmood, spoke about the abuse, calling it “a campaign that was sullied by harassment and intimidation.”
Large Police Presence
According to reports, a large police presence was deployed to the polling stations in the constituency after worries about voter safety.
Troubling Democracy
The abuse received by the women who are being fairly voted through a democratic process should be a concern to the now Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Martin Suker.