Latest news with #BenObeseJecty
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MP inundated with racist abuse after online post
An MP says he has been "inundated with racist comments" after he questioned another MP's plans to start an organisation to "change the way Britain is governed". Huntingdon Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty retweeted independent Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe's post on X announcing the launch of Restore Britain, asking why it cost £20 to join. Obese-Jecty said as a result he received online "racist comments, pictures comparing me to a monkey" and was told to "return to your ethnic homeland". The BBC has approached Lowe, who was previously a Reform UK MP, for comment. Obese-Jecty, a former Army officer who later worked in financial services, won the Cambridgeshire seat in last year's general election. Businessman Lowe, a former Southampton Football Club chairman, won his Norfolk seat last year, initially for Reform UK, but has been sitting as an independent since March. He launched Restore Britain on Monday, saying it was "a movement for those who believe that we need to fundamentally change the way Britain is governed". "This is not a political party, but a fundamentally different way of doing things," he said. People wishing to join the membership organisation were asked to pay a £20 annual subscription. Obese-Jecty said he had been "absolutely inundated with racist comments" after he questioned the fee. "I got called an Uncle Tom, which is a race traitor, I was told I should be deported back to my home country, [and] that foreigners should be banned from British politics," he said. "It went on and on and this is sadly par for the course from certain very online sections of our political commentary... it's something I notice is getting increasingly worse and I get targeted from all sides of the political spectrum." Obese-Jecty said he raised the comments directly with the Great Yarmouth MP when they met in the House of Commons' tearoom. He said he told Lowe: "I was very disappointed about the racist abuse I'd received from people who purport to be your supporters. "[Lowe] very much shrugged his shoulders at it and said, 'Well that's not down to me'." The Huntingdon MP said this was particularly disappointing as one of the surprises of his first year in Parliament was "the amount of collegiate work that goes on around the House of Commons". "It was disappointing that that cross-party bonhomie doesn't extend to everybody," he added. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Ex-Reform MP Lowe will not face charges over alleged threats MP irked as Cromwell treated in cavalier fashion House of Commons
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Huntingdon MP 'inundated with racism' after online post
An MP says he has been "inundated with racist comments" after he questioned another MP's plans to start an organisation to "change the way Britain is governed".Huntingdon Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty retweeted independent Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe's post on X announcing the launch of Restore Britain, asking why it cost £20 to join. Obese-Jecty said as a result he received online "racist comments, pictures comparing me to a monkey" and was told to "return to your ethnic homeland". The BBC has approached Lowe, who was previously a Reform UK MP, for comment. Obese-Jecty, a former Army officer who later worked in financial services, won the Cambridgeshire seat in last year's general Lowe, a former Southampton Football Club chairman, won his Norfolk seat last year, initially for Reform UK, but has been sitting as an independent since March. He launched Restore Britain on Monday, saying it was "a movement for those who believe that we need to fundamentally change the way Britain is governed"."This is not a political party, but a fundamentally different way of doing things," he wishing to join the membership organisation were asked to pay a £20 annual subscription. Obese-Jecty said he had been "absolutely inundated with racist comments" after he questioned the fee. "I got called an Uncle Tom, which is a race traitor, I was told I should be deported back to my home country, [and] that foreigners should be banned from British politics," he said. "It went on and on and this is sadly par for the course from certain very online sections of our political commentary... it's something I notice is getting increasingly worse and I get targeted from all sides of the political spectrum." Disappointing response Obese-Jecty said he raised the comments directly with the Great Yarmouth MP when they met in the House of Commons' tearoom. He said he told Lowe: "I was very disappointed about the racist abuse I'd received from people who purport to be your supporters."[Lowe] very much shrugged his shoulders at it and said, 'Well that's not down to me'."The Huntingdon MP said this was particularly disappointing as one of the surprises of his first year in Parliament was "the amount of collegiate work that goes on around the House of Commons"."It was disappointing that that cross-party bonhomie doesn't extend to everybody," he added. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Big Ben clock tower incident ends as man comes down
A man who scaled the clock tower of Big Ben on Saturday morning came down just after midnight on Sunday, having spent hours barefoot and holding a Palestine flag on the Elizabeth Tower. Pictures from the scene showed the man being lifted to the ground in a cherry picker. Emergency crews had been at the scene with dozens of uniformed police officers guarding the cordon which extended from Bridge Street to Westminster Bridge. Two aerial ladder platforms, an incident response unit ambulance, regular ambulances and two fire engines were also present late on Saturday. In a video posted on Instagram on Saturday evening, the man told negotiators from the ledge he was sat on that he would come down 'on his own terms'. In the footage, negotiators on an aerial ladder platform appear to raise concerns about an injury to his foot, saying there is 'quite a lot of blood' and that his clothes were not warm enough as temperatures dropped after sunset. But the man insisted he is safe, saying: 'I will come down on my own terms, I have said this. But right now I am saying I am safe. 'If you come towards me you are putting me in danger and I will climb higher.' In the afternoon, shouts of 'Free Palestine' and 'You are a hero' could be heard from a small group of supporters behind the police cordon at Victoria Embankment. In videos posted on social media earlier on Saturday, the man appeared to climb over a fence surrounding the Houses of Parliament without any security guards approaching him. Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty said on X there needs to be an explanation about how the man got into the parliamentary estate. He said: 'Every day in Parliament I see dozens of armed police officers patrolling Portcullis House and the parliamentary estate. Where were they today? 'On Monday there needs to be a full explanation to MPs and staff as to how this protester was able to evade security so easily.' Parliamentary tours, which happen on Saturdays when Parliament is sitting and on weekdays during the summer recess, were cancelled. A parliamentary spokesperson said: 'We are aware of an incident on the parliamentary estate, which is being handled by the Metropolitan Police, assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service. 'Parliament takes security extremely seriously, however we do not comment on the specifics of our security measures or mitigations.' Every day in Parliament I see dozens of armed police officers patrolling Portcullis House and the Parliamentary estate. Where were they today? On Monday there needs to be a full explanation to MPs and staff as to how this protestor was able to evade security so easily. — Ben Obese-Jecty MP (@BenObeseJecty) March 8, 2025 London bus routes 3, 11, 148, C10 and 159 remained on diversion as the road closures continued. In 2019, an Extinction Rebellion activist wearing a blond wig was arrested after climbing the scaffolding surrounding the clock tower. Tree surgeon Ben Atkinson climbed the scaffolding surrounding Big Ben dressed as Boris Johnson – complete with a blond wig, shirt, jacket and tie – and was up Elizabeth Tower for around three and a half hours on October 18 2019, before police managed to get him to come down. Elsewhere, on Friday night, Donald Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland was vandalised by Pro-Palestine activists in response to the US president's statements on Gaza. The golf course in South Ayrshire, owned by Mr Trump, was targeted, with activists painting Gaza Is Not For Sale in three-metre high letters on the lawn, and damaging the greens. Palestine Action described it as a 'direct response to the US administration's stated intent to ethnically cleanse Gaza'.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Big Ben clock tower incident expected to continue overnight as man stays put
An incident involving a man who scaled the clock tower of Big Ben on Saturday morning is expected to continue into Sunday as negotiators have been unable to convince him to come down. The man, who is barefoot and holding a Palestine flag, has been spoken to by negotiators several times but at 10.30pm had not yet agreed to come down from Elizabeth Tower. The scene remained busy with emergency crews, with dozens of uniformed police officers guarding the cordon which extended from Bridge Street to Westminster Bridge. Two aerial ladder platforms, an incident response unit ambulance, regular ambulances and two fire engines were still at the scene late on Saturday. In a video posted on Instagram on Saturday evening, the man told negotiators from the ledge he was sat on that he would come down 'on his own terms'. In the footage, negotiators on an aerial ladder platform appear to raise concerns about an injury to his foot, saying there is 'quite a lot of blood' and that his clothes are not warm enough as temperatures drop after sunset. But the man insists he is safe and says: 'I will come down on my own terms, I have said this. But right now I am saying I am safe. 'If you come towards me you are putting me in danger and I will climb higher.' In the afternoon, shouts of 'Free Palestine' and 'You are a hero' could be heard from a small group of supporters behind the police cordon at Victoria Embankment. In videos posted on social media earlier on Saturday, the man appeared to climb over a fence surrounding the Houses of Parliament without any security guards approaching him. Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty said on X there needs to be an explanation about how the man got into the parliamentary estate. He said: 'Every day in Parliament I see dozens of armed police officers patrolling Portcullis House and the parliamentary estate. Where were they today? 'On Monday there needs to be a full explanation to MPs and staff as to how this protester was able to evade security so easily.' Parliamentary tours, which happen on Saturdays when Parliament is sitting and on weekdays during the summer recess, were cancelled. A parliamentary spokesperson said: 'We are aware of an incident on the parliamentary estate, which is being handled by the Metropolitan Police, assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service. 'Parliament takes security extremely seriously, however we do not comment on the specifics of our security measures or mitigations.' Every day in Parliament I see dozens of armed police officers patrolling Portcullis House and the Parliamentary estate. Where were they today? On Monday there needs to be a full explanation to MPs and staff as to how this protestor was able to evade security so easily. — Ben Obese-Jecty MP (@BenObeseJecty) March 8, 2025 London bus routes 3, 11, 148, C10 and 159 remain on diversion as the road closures continued. In 2019, an Extinction Rebellion activist wearing a blond wig was arrested after climbing the scaffolding surrounding the clock tower. Tree surgeon Ben Atkinson climbed the scaffolding surrounding Big Ben dressed as Boris Johnson – complete with a blond wig, shirt, jacket and tie – and was up Elizabeth Tower for around three and a half hours on October 18 2019, before police managed to get him to come down. On Friday night, Donald Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland was vandalised by activists in response to the US president's statements on Gaza. The golf course in South Ayrshire, owned by the US president, was targeted, with activists painting Gaza Is Not For Sale in three-metre high letters on the lawn, and damaging the greens. Palestine Action described it as a 'direct response to the US administration's stated intent to ethnically cleanse Gaza'.
