Hounding of MP who spoke out against Asian sex gangs
AN MP who received death threats after condemning the scandal of Pakistani men grooming and raping young white girls in Rotherham has been given increased security amid concerns for her safety.
Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for the South Yorkshire town, has campaigned to raise awareness of hundreds of sexually exploited children and criticised the Left for not doing enough for fear of being branded racist.
The Rotherham abuse scandal hit the headlines in 2014 when it was revealed that over 16 years at least 1,400 local girls had been victims of sexual exploitation by organised groups of men. An inquiry found most of the victims were white, mostly aged 11 to 15, and their abusers were ‘almost all’ of Pakistani heritage.
In August, Miss Champion wrote about the issue in The Sun newspaper, stating: ‘Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls. There. I said it. Does that make me a racist? Or am I just prepared to call out this horrifying problem for what it is?’
She added: ‘For too long we have ignored the race of these abusers and, worse, tried to cover it up. No more. These people are predators and the common denominator is their ethnic heritage.’
But the comments led to death threats and the MP being accused of ‘industrial-scale racism’ by Just Yorkshire, a regional ‘human rights’ campaign group funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust – a liberal Quaker group increasingly linked to extreme causes.
Now an attempt is being made by hard-Left and Muslim oppo- nents to try to force Miss Champion from office, according to The Times newspaper.
Scotland Yard confirmed last night that death threats against Miss Champion had been investigated, but refused to discuss security plans. A spokesman said: ‘We never discuss details of security provided to individuals, for operational reasons.’
The 49-year-old MP has represented the South Yorkshire town since 2012. After last year’s article caused an outcry among her Labour colleagues she quit her role as shadow women and equalities secretary.
Then, in March, Just Yorkshire published a report, which was based on an online survey of 165 people, about the impact of the MP’s remarks.
It concluded that her comments made the community ‘feel a sense of injustice, hurt, anger and shock, with respondents feeling disrespected, targeted, stigmatised, scapegoated, victimised, dehumanised and potentially criminalised.’
An ‘overwhelming number’ who took part in the survey ‘considered the comments to be racist’ and ‘deliberately attacking a whole community and race,’ it stated. This report is said to have led to further death threats against the MP, and counterterrorism police advised her to accept extra protection.
Yesterday an aide to Miss Champion said: ‘Sarah is not going to be speaking on this matter.’
Just Yorkshire yesterday described the Times report highlighting the targeting of Miss Champion as an ‘extremely disturbing article that is based on wild conspiracies, inaccuracies, old news and meritless speculation’.
After the murder of fellow Yorkshire MP Jo Cox in 2016, Miss Champion said: ‘If you’re in public service you seem to be a target of hatred, and it turns my stomach because the exact reason you go in is because you care about your society and you want to help people.’
Last night Miss Champion was backed by Labour MP John Mann, who said: ‘Sarah Champion has my full support in standing up to child abuse and calling the Rotherham scandal out for what it is. Momentum activists calling for her to go because of her stance are beyond contempt.’