‘Terrorist sympathiser’ challenge to Corbyn
Labour leader entering No10 a ‘dangerous thing’, Scottish church minister warns during two-day tour
JEREMY CORBYN was yesterday branded a “terrorist sympathiser” by a Scottish church minister after suggesting Abu Bakr al-baghdadi, the former Isil leader, should have been captured by US forces.
The Rev Richard Cameron, a parish minister in Glasgow, said that he had confronted Mr Corbyn because he believed the prospect of him entering Downing Street to be a “dangerous thing”.
His comments were echoed by Boris Johnson, who accused the Labour leader of being “naive to the point of being dangerous” over his comments on al-baghdadi, who was until last month the world’s most wanted man.
The Prime Minister’s intervention came after Mr Corbyn was heckled shortly after arriving in Glasgow to begin a two-day election tour of Scotland.
As Mr Corbyn entered a community centre, he was approached by Mr Cameron, who asked: “Do you think that the man who is going to be prime minister of this country should be a terrorist sympathiser, Mr Corbyn?
“Who’s going to be the first terrorist invited to the House of Commons when you’re prime minister?”
The minister also pointed to a tartan scarf worn by Mr Corbyn, adding: “I thought you would be wearing your Islamic jihad scarf.” Asked why he had challenged Mr Corbyn, Mr Cameron said: “I think there is disquiet in some of the Armed Forces if he was to gain power.
“He has in the past invited Irish terrorists to the House of Commons. He has never apologised for these things. He has never changed his mind and to have such a person as prime minister, wielding that level of power, would be quite a dangerous thing.”
However, Labour sources pointed to homophobic remarks allegedly made by the minister on social media.
Later, a Church of Scotland spokesman said there had been “significant concerns” raised about Mr Cameron’s comments on social media.
The spokesman added: “Any complaints we receive in relation to this matter will be taken seriously and addressed.” Separately, Mr Corbyn faced a backlash for suggesting that Donald Trump should have undertaken greater efforts to capture the leader of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Al-baghdadi blew himself up last month during a US special forces raid in Syria.
However, when asked about his death, Mr Corbyn, who previously described the killing of Osama bin Laden as a “tragedy”, suggested he should have been put on trial.
He told LBC: “If we preach international law and international legal process through the International Court of Justice in The Hague, then we should carry it out.
“If it’s possible to arrest somebody and put them on trial, then that is what should have been done and that is what I said about the death [of Bin Laden] and it would continue to be my principle.” Referring to Slobodan Milošević, the former Serbian president who was tried for war crimes, Mr Corbyn continued: “If we believe, as we do, in international law and justice … then we should do everything we can to bring people, where they deserve to go trial, to be put on trial.”
Pressed on whether al-baghdadi’s death was a “good thing”, Mr Corbyn said that “him being removed from the scene is a very good thing”.
However, he appeared to question the official account given by the US, adding: “If it would have been possible to arrest him … I don’t know the details of the circumstances at the time.
“I have only seen various statements put out by the US about it. Surely that would have been the right thing to do.”
His comments were last night condemned by Mr Johnson, who told re
porters that Mr Corbyn’s “approach is naive to the point of being dangerous”. Speaking in Coventry, the Prime Minister said: “Baghdadi was an absolutely diabolical foe of this country, responsible for untold murders. I don’t think it’s realistic to suggest he could just be apprehended by the police in the circumstances in which he was finally run to ground.”
His comments were echoed by Brandon Lewis, the security minister, who said: “Corbyn’s comments are yet more proof of his flawed judgment and inability to stand up to people who reject our values.
“Every time he is given the opportunity to take the side of this country’s enemies, he does so. In one month, Britain could wake up to find him standing on the steps of Downing Street as our prime minister.”