Prior to being promoted to Shadow Home Secretary.
Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, Diane Abbott, has claimed racists who want to see “less foreign-looking people on their streets” drove the Brexit vote, which “added another turn of the screw to rising racism”.
The close ally of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also claimed that “people who talk Brexit” had “attacked and assaulted” ethnic minority voters and Eastern Europeans after the referendum.
More than 17 million people voted for Brexit in June, giving leaving the European Union (EU) the largest ever democratic mandate in British history.
“The people that complain about the freedom of movement will not be satisfied because what they really want is to see less foreign-looking people on their streets”, she ranted at a fringe event at the Labour party conference in Liverpool.
According to the Daily Mail, she added: “The Brexit vote and the Leave people winning seems to have given far too many people permission to racially abuse and attack people all over the country.
“People, not just East Europeans, but people of all colours, are being attacked and assaulted by people who talk about Brexit … There has been this upsurge after this Brexit vote in horrible, horrible attacks.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxOo9ycj0SA]
Claims of a hate crime epidemic after the Brexit vote are based on one line taken from a single press release issued by the National Police Chief’s Council on June 27th. In the four days immediately after the vote, the document said reports of hate crimes had “risen 57 per cent”.
However, the statistic was in reference to 85 unverified online reports, with no supporting evidence. The same document also states that forces recorded “no major spikes in tensions” after the vote. In fact, prosecutions for hate crimes have actually fallen since June.
Despite this, speaking on BBC Daily Politics this morning, Mrs. Abbott doubled down of her claims.
She insisted, “you didn’t have this flurry of attacks on [Polish people] and Eastern Europeans”, before the Brexit vote, citing anecdotal evidence from a friend who claims to have been abused by people who said: “We voted for Brexit.”
When questioned, Mrs. Abbott added: “I’m not saying that all of them were motivated by [racism], but the evidence of the attacks suggests that some were.”
However, she also conceded that she agreed with many who voted to Leave, explaining: “I was eurosceptic about the economic and financial arrangements, but in the end, Remain was the right thing to do.”
Furious radio callers slam Diane Abbott over racist Brexiteers rant …
www.express.co.uk › News › Politics
29 Sep 2016 – FUMING voters have let rip after Diane Abbott suggested Brexit backers were … Furious Brexiteers let rip as Diane Abbott calls them racist …
Fury as Diane Abbott blasts Brexit voters as RACIST in outrageous …
www.express.co.uk › News › UK
28 Sep 2016 – Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: “What Diane Abbott and the Labour Party … Ms Abbott has since denied she was calling all Brexit voters racist.
Diane Abbott branded the 17million voters who backed Brexit racist
https://www.thesun.co.uk/…/labours-shadow-health-secretary-diane–abbott-brands-the…
27 Sep 2016 – He said: “What Diane Abbott and the Labour party need to …. Racist no how dare this women call 17 million many Asians among them who …
Labour’s Diane Abbott Says Brexit Voters Are Racist – Breitbart
www.breitbart.com/…/labour-diane–abbott–brexit–voters–racist-responsible-hate-crime…
27 Sep 2016 – Diane Abbott has claimed racists who want to see “less foreign-looking … Labour’sDiane Abbott Says Brexit Voters Are Racist and …. Wikileaks: Hillary Camp Chair Asked NYT to Callfor ‘Extradition’ of Cecil the Lion’s Hunter.
Ian Collins Hits Back At Diane Abbott Over Racist Brexit Jibe – LBC
www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/ian…/ian-collins-diane–abbott-over-racist–brexit-jibe/
28 Sep 2016 – Diane Abbott said that Brexit voters were racist. … He said: “Diane Abbott speaking at a meeting called Brexit– Unite Against Racism And Hatred …
David Jones on Twitter: “Diane Abbott calls Brexit voters racist- this is …
https://mobile.twitter.com/davidjo52951945/status/780744579230334976
DavidJo52951945 …where they can be racist without anyone calling them racist. Illumined One. Sep 27. Illumined One @StephenDewing. @amusebarf let me …
David Jones on Twitter: “Diane Abbott calls Brexit voters racist- this is …
https://twitter.com/davidjo52951945/status/780744579230334976
27 Sep 2016 – Diane Abbott calls Brexit voters racist– this is exactly why Labour is … @DavidJo52951945 is she saying that all the black brexit voters are racist …