MPs do not deserve campaign of hatred

FAR OUT

The graffiti scrawled on a wall in the constituency of one of my colleagues read: “Hang traitor MPs.” A picture of it was sent to one of our shared WhatsApp groups this week.

There were no gasps or messages of shock, but instead other MPs in the group started to send their own images in.

One from Twitter said, “MPs could do with a course of HIV!” and then named a specific MP.

Then stories came through of police being called to escort MPs while they visited a local school as there was a threat of a group turning up with bats. At a school!

I didn’t become an MP so people would throw rose petals at my feet as I walked around my community.

I knew I was in for rough and tumble – to be honest it was part of what drew me to the job.

I like a challenge... I didn’t expect people to wish I was dead. When the

DEATH PLOT Rosie Cooper was a target

plan to murder Rosie Cooper, a north-west Labour MP, was discovered and stopped, one man took to the internet and said he wished it had been me and encouraged those with such plans to target me.

I’m sure that many reading this think, ‘Well, this is what happens when people get angry’. Some will think MPs are asking for it.

But I am angry too. I’m angry at the third of children in my constituency living in poverty, or the Windrush victims who turn up to my office left penniless and sick by the Government’s mistakes.

I take action when I’m angry but I don’t react with violence.

I don’t know why some people are getting a free pass for dangerous behaviour.

It is as if MPs are not human too.

I’m sure most don’t think I or anyone else should suffer violence, but somehow the threats and the aggression faced by MPs have become normal and in a way acceptable. They should be neither.

We are all put at risk if we allow the forces of fear to change our democracy.

I expected rough and tumble, not wishing me to be dead