Soubry branded a Nazi outside Parliament by Brexit protesters
POLICE faced mounting criticism last night after they stood by when a pro-EU MP was verbally abused by protesters outside the Commons.
Anna Soubry, who supports a second Brexit referendum, was forced to stop talking during a BBC interview while people off camera shouted: ‘Soubry is a Nazi’.
She was also shouted at and jostled as she tried to re-enter the Palace of Westminster.
Last night, writing on Twitter, Miss Soubry said: ‘I fail to see why journalists and technicians should be subjected to the same abuse and intimidation as the police stand by and do nothing.’ And she called for the protesters to be prosecuted under public order legislation.
Labour MP Mary Creagh said the ‘really vile, misogynistic thuggery’ shown was not an isolated incident, while her colleague Stephen Doughty called for ‘proper action’ to be taken by Scotland Yard.
After the issue was raised in the Commons, the Speaker John Bercow said he was aware of incidents ‘involving aggressive and threatening behaviour towards members and others by assorted protesters’. Mr Bercow said that it was a matter for the Met rather than Parliamentary authorities as it happened in the street, but added: ‘Female members, and in a number of cases I’m advised, female journalists have been subjected to aggressive protest and what many would regard as harassment. I can assure the House that I am keeping a close eye on events and I will speak to those who advise me about these matters.’
Labour frontbencher Angela Rayner tweeted: ‘What has our country come to when watching BBC News all you can hear is chants from protesters calling Anna Soubry a Nazi. How disgusting and offensive: they do their causes no good!’ During the BBC
Miss Soubry told journalist Simon McCoy: ‘I do object to being called a Nazi, actually. I just think this is astonishing, this is what has happened to our country. But let’s try and move on and be positive about things.’
Protesters also chanted slogans including ‘Liar, liar’ throughout a live interview by Miss Soubry on Sky News. Over the chants, she told journalist Kay Burley: ‘I don’t have a problem with people demonstrating and making their views heard.
‘I have a real problem with people who call me a traitor or “Soubry, you Nazi”. That is a criminal offence and I’m a criminal barrister.’
Theresa May’s spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister has been very clear that nobody involved in the political process should be subjected to abuse or harassment. They should be free to do their job without any form of intimidation and it is clearly unacceptable when that isn’t the case.’
Last night, a Met spokesman said: ‘Police received a third party report of a public order offence on Monday in the area of College Green, SW1. Officers are assessing if any crimes have been committed. There has been no arrest at this stage.’
Sky News presenter Miss Burley also revealed on Twitter that she needed security to escort her from her place of work.
She wrote: ‘These people are not pro-Brexit. They are pro-intimidation. They specifically target me and scream “slag”, or “f***ing fascist” over and over and over again, and those are just some comments I can mention in polite company.’