Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has said he does not believe Lee Anderson should have had the whip removed, saying that ‘his concerns about Islamism are entirely legitimate.’
Sir Jacob also said he believed ‘anti-British anti-Western anti-Semitic ideology’ has been the driver behind ongoing tensions in the country.
Speaking on GB News Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said:
“Lee Anderson has been suspended from the Conservative Party following his remarks about Sadiq Khan regarding Islamism.
“Lee comments were infelicitous but he should not have had the party whip withdrawn. When Lee made these remarks, these were the words of a man profoundly concerned about the state of extremism in Britain.
“His concerns about Islamism are entirely legitimate and reflect views held across the country. Since 7th October we have seen demonstrations every weekend in the capital city, which include calls for Jihad, calls for curses upon the Jews, explicit support for Hamas, explicit support for the Houthis in Yemen.
“We've seen people being assaulted and vandalism on statues and monuments, the discarding of Armistice Day, and fundamentally, we have seen the emboldenment of Islamists with a new space created for them to thrive.
“Lee is not a racist, and neither were his remarks. They may have been hyperbolic, but Lee does not deserve to be suspended.
“Amidst all of these incidents that we have seen with the pro-Palestine marches, there is a feeling that people have been allowed to get away with breaking the law as well as creating an environment of intimidation.
“We have seen a number of MPs targeted. We've seen road and rail traffic brought to a standstill. We saw even one of our own colleagues Martin Daubney assaulted during one of these protests, with the police watching and doing nothing about it.
“And the police have powers to crack down on these incidents on occasions but they have not done so.
“It's worth remembering that Sadiq Khan has considerable powers with respect to the Metropolitan Police. But as Lee Anderson has said, we have barely heard of peep from the Mayor.
“This is an entirely legitimate frustration and, despite its poor articulation, it’s a feeling shared by many across the country.
“Sadiq Khan is not an Islamist, nor is he under their control, but his leadership on this issue as well as others has been very poor.
“Suspending Lee Anderson has turned Lee into the story rather than this problem that we have of Islamism and extremism.
“That's the real story, bigger and more concerning, that British democracy last week prostrated itself to an Islamist mob. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle broke with convention owing to fears of MPs' safety.
“This is a critical moment in the history of Parliament but now it seems we've forgotten about that. The opportunists have jumped on Lee Anderson’s remarks to score political points.
“This is a moment that defines our civilisation. Uncontrolled mass migration with a lack of integration, coupled with extremism and anti-British anti-Western anti-Semitic ideology has led to this point. We must not only have the right to debate it as Lee Anderson did, but to act against it, before it’s too late.”
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