MURPHY ABUSED BY HATE MOB
Aggressive protests as nationalists target rally, forcing Labour leader and comedian Eddie Izzard to flee
AN angry mob of nationalist supporters sparked ugly scuffles at a Labour campaign event i n the centre of Glasgow yesterday.
Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy and comedian Eddie Izzard had to be protected from angry protesters before eventually being driven off.
Witnesses said an eight-year-old girl and fouryear-old boy were left in tears by the aggressive scenes, which also saw a photographer and a TV reporter pushed over.
Shouts of ‘traitor’, ‘Judas’ and ‘warmongering scum’ were screamed by protesters in the city’s St Enoch Square, in front of several young chil- dren. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last night condemned the intimidation tactics.
After the event, Mr Murphy condemned the ‘ugly face of aggressive nationalism’. The scenes were reminiscent of last year’s referendum, campaign when he was repeatedly targeted by Yes campaigners, demonstrating that divisions from that contest have not healed.
The mob, around 20-strong at one point, was led by hard-Left activist Sean Clerkin, along with a group calling itself Scottish Resistance. Mr Clerkin claimed he was tipped off about the event by two moles in the Labour Party, who intend to quit after the election.
Labour activist Emma Busby’s children, Leah, eight, and Harry, four, were reduced to tears amid the shouting and pushing. The 26-year-old secretary said: ‘This is so intimidating. It’s scare tactics. My children are terrified. It’s the referendum all over again.’
As the protest began, ringleaders erected a giant banner proclaiming ‘Red Tories Out’ and started chanting the slogan while around 30 Labour activists gathered.
When Mr Murphy and Izzard arrived, protesters wielding placards ran to confront them. Several Labour aides rushed to protect the pair, physically dragging demonstrators away. Two people shouted through loudhailers while a bike fitted with speakers blared out music.
Despite being shaken, Izzard made it on to a platform with Mr Murphy.
Struggling to be heard, Mr Murphy said: ‘This is our country too. No nationalists will silence us, nationalism will never silence the voice of democratic socialism. This sort of aggressive nationalism should have no place in our election.
‘We’ve got a few days until we can kick David Cameron out of office, a few days to change our country forever and we won’t be silenced by this form of aggressive nationalism, it’s anti-democratic.’
Izzard said: ‘It’s OK having different opinions, but everyone should be able to put their opinion forward. This aggressive, this violent emotion, why violence? Don’t have violence, we should just put our point of view forward and then everyone makes their choice on Thursday.’
Abandoning the event, Labour press officers and office staff formed a circle around Mr Murphy and Izzard and slowly escorted them across St Enoch Square. As the chaos continued, a photographer was pushed to the ground and STV reporter Carole Erskine was knocked down.
Labour staffers drove up in a black car and bundled Mr Murphy and Izzard inside. They were waved off to huge cheers from supporters.
Details of the event had been kept under wraps after protesters dis-
rupted an event in Glasgow with UK Labour leader Ed Miliband on Friday. Due to a heavy police presence on that occasion there was no violence, but Mr Murphy does not have police protection.
When asked by the Mail if such a scene helped the nationalist cause, Mr Clerkin said: ‘Of course it does.’ Mr Clerkin, who famously con- fronted then-Labour leader Iain Gray during the 2011 Holyrood election and forced him to seek refuge in a sandwich shop, said he was not an SNP member but is voting for the party on Thursday.
James Scott, leader of Scottish Resistance, also thought the protest a success. He said: ‘We were set up to get freedom for Scotland. The British imperialism doesn’t work.’ On Twitter, si nger Eddi Reader accused Mr Murphy of being a ‘trouble maker’ who had walked ‘into a Yes city’ – a reference to the referendum.
Miss Sturgeon said: ‘I take a very strong view that anybody in an election is allowed to campaign without being abused. These people weren’t acting on behalf of the SNP.’