Bob Stewart has surrendered the Tory whip while he appeals against his conviction for a racially aggravated public order offence, a government source has said.
Stewart, the MP for Beckenham, was found guilty at Westminster magistrates court on Friday of racially abusing an activist by telling him to “go back to Bahrain” during a confrontation in central London.
During an argument outside the Foreign Office’s Lancaster House in Westminster, the 74-year-old told Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei: “You’re taking money off my country. Go away.”
Stewart had been attending an event hosted by the Bahraini embassy when Alwadaei shouted: “Bob Stewart, for how much did you sell yourself to the Bahraini regime?”
During a fractious exchange, Stewart replied: “Go away. I hate you. You make a lot of fuss. Go back to Bahrain.”
In footage of the incident on 14 December 2022 played during the trial, the MP is heard telling Alwadaei: “Now shut up, you stupid man.”
Labour and the Liberal Democrats led calls for Rishi Sunak to act against the “totally unacceptable” behaviour of the backbencher.
A government source told the PA Media news agency on Saturday that Stewart had informed the chief whip, Simon Hart, that he wished to surrender the party whip until a possible appeal against his conviction was resolved.
The chief magistrate, Paul Goldspring, found the MP guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence. He said Stewart would not be jailed, and fined him £600, with additional legal costs bringing the total to £1,435.
During the hearing, Stewart was asked for his thoughts on the allegations of racial hostility and told the court: “That’s absurd. It’s totally unfair. My life has been … I don’t want to say destroyed, but I am deeply hurt at having to appear in a court like this.”
The MP, a former British army officer who was stationed in Bahrain in 1969, said: “I am not a racist. He was saying that I was corrupt and that I had taken money. My honour was at stake in front of a large number of ambassadors. It upset me and I thought it was extremely offensive.”
Stewart used the phrase “my country” because he “assumed” Alwadaei was from Bahrain, but accepted that the words “this country” would “perhaps have been better”, the court heard.
Last December, the Guardian revealed that Alwadaei complained to the Conservative party about the confrontation outside the reception.
The Metropolitan police launched an investigation after a complaint was lodged by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy activist, who has said he is living in exile after being tortured in the Gulf state.
Speaking about the row, Alwadaei said: “I feel that I was dehumanised, like I was someone who is not welcomed in the UK. Because of my skin colour, because of where I came from, he feels I am taking money from his country.”
2023-11-04 10:40:27
Article from www.theguardian.com
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