Racist attack: Priti hits back at Oppn MPs

London, June 28: UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Sunday hit back at MPs from the Opposition Labour Party for being “racist” in their treatment of her. The row emerged after a group of ethnic minority Labour MPs, including Indian-origin MPs Virendra Sharma, Tan Dhesi, Preet Kaur Gill, Valerie Vaz, Seema Malhotra and Nadia Whittome, wrote to the Indian-origin Cabinet minister earlier this month accusing her of trying to suppress the antiracism fight by recounting her own past experiences of racism in Parliament.

‘Black Lives Matter’ protests have been held across the world after American citizen George Floyd died in police custody on May 25. “Primarily because they take the stance and the position that I just don’t conform to, their preconceived idea or stereotypical view of what an ethnic minority woman should stand for and represent,” said Patel.

Asked if she feels targeted by the Left-wing Labour because she is part of the Conservative Party as an ethnic minority woman, she said: “Clearly in the case of those Labour MPs, they simply do. That in itself is racist. It is very disappointing, I am not going to dignify that letter any further.” The letter, dated June 11 and signed by 30 Labour Party MPs, had accused her of “gaslighting the very real racism” faced in the UK. Gaslighting refers to a form of psychological manipulation where seeds of doubt are planted against an idea.

She had responded by making the letter public on Twitter, with the message: “I will not be silenced by @UKLabour MPs who continue to dismiss the contributions of those who don’t conform to their view of how ethnic minorities should behave.”

● US PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Sunday tweeted approvingly of a video showing one of his supporters chanting “white power”, a racist slogan associated with white supremacists.