Tory MP Bob Stewart who told activist ‘go back to Bahrain’ found guilty of racial abuse
A Conservative MP has been found guilty of racially abusing an activist by telling him to “go back to Bahrain”.
Bob Stewart showed “racial hostility” towards a protester during a demonstration outside a Foreign Office building, a court heard.
The MP for Beckenham in southeast London told activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei “you’re taking money off my country, go away!” during a row in Westminster on December 14 last year.
Mr Alwadaei shouted: “Bob Stewart, for how much did you sell yourself to the Bahraini regime?”
During a heated exchange, Stewart replied: “Go away, I hate you. You make a lot of fuss. Go back to Bahrain.”
In footage played during a trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, he also said: “Now shut up, you stupid man.”
Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring found the MP guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence.
He said Stewart will not be jailed.
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei
The Liberal Democrats have called for Rishi Sunak to kick Stewart out of the parliamentary Conservative Party.
The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the incident after a complaint was made by Mr Alwadaei, who has said he was living in exile after being tortured in the Gulf state.
During the one-day trial, Mr Alwadaei alleged that Bahrain was “corrupt” and a “human rights violator”, and said it was his right to protest against the MP’s involvement with the state.
Asked how he felt after the incident, the activist said: “I feel that I was dehumanised, like I was someone who is not welcomed in the UK.
“Because of my skin colour, because of where I came from, he feels I am taking money from his country.”
‘Racial hostility’
Mr Alwadaei also claimed that if he returned to Bahrain, he would “undoubtedly be killed and tortured”.
Prosecutor Paul Jarvis said Stewart had “demonstrated racial hostility towards Mr Alwadaei by way of his comments”, and while he was “not motivated by racial hostility”, he had demonstrated it.
In response to the accusation, the MP said it was “absurd” and “totally unfair”, stating he was “not a racist”.
He added: “My life has been, I don’t want to say destroyed, but I am deeply hurt at having to appear in a court like this.”
The 74-year-old politician told the court he had “no idea” who Mr Alwadaei was when the incident occurred and that he used the word “hate” because of what the protester was saying.
Stewart added: “‘Go back to Bahrain’ meant why don’t you go back to Bahrain and make your point there?”
‘Honour at stake’
Asked if he accused Mr Alwadaei of taking money from the UK, the MP said: “I made the assumption he too was living in this country and was benefiting from living in this country.
“I certainly didn’t mean he was a freeloader.”
But he defended his reaction to the protester, telling the court: “He was saying that I was corrupt and that I had taken money. My honour was at stake in front of a large number of ambassadors.
“It upset me and I thought it was extremely offensive.”
A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.
Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.
The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.
“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.
The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.
The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.
In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.
Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon
Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.
The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.
It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.
“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”
Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.
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