The Gloves Come Off in Plaistow North

The Plaistow North by-election campaign has been conducted on social media in a way that no other election has seen in Newham. The use of social media has been spearheaded by the Independent group supporting Naqvi. The election has allowed other players to get in on the act. 

The post above does not come from the Independents’ official campaign, but is clearly from someone who shares their desire to unseat Labour in Newham. It shows 10,000 as 20% of 1,000,000, (it is 1% in reality) and its rather unorthodox tabulation sees numbers increase in a manner unknown to mathematics. It is a rather misleading exaggeration for graphic effect. 

The pre-eminent issue is Gaza. In the unlikely event that Hamas has been truthful in its assessment of the numbers, those numbers include fighters, with over 1500 killed inside Israel on October 7th.  Presumably, more fighters have followed as the conflict with Israeli forces expanded. These are all “innocents” according to the social media post.

But detail is a minor point when the aim is to create an emotional impact, and it is an impact that will be felt in one community in particular.

This post is not alone.
Someone who uses the nom de plume, Abu Muslim, has added the following. It carries the imprimatur of NPAC, (Newham Public Affairs Committee). This organization has long been dormant but is linked to MPAC (Muslim PAC). MPAC campaigner, Asghar Bukhari, was instrumental in lobbying against Labour MP Lorna Fitzsimons in Rochdale and in organising tactical voting to undermine Jack Straw MP.

Bukhari’s views might be guessed at when he is one of the few people who still manages to have his Twitter/X account suspended.

Abu Muslim ramps up the pressure on Labour MPs and councillors. In the ceasefire vote, Stephen Timms joined the SNP in the lobby. Lyn Brown did not. There has been some conjecture on why this was. It could have been a sudden onset of principled behaviour on her part. The consensus seems to be however, that because the party has not yet officially chosen the candidate for the Stratford and Bow seat, it would be better for her to toe the line. Angry residents might write letters, but falling out with the leadership might mean that she fails to get selected.

By naming every Muslim councillor, Abu Muslim is clearly aiming to increase the considerable pressure that some of them have come under. Signing a letter of dissent was not enough. It never will be. There are no appeasing dogmatists.

So, Labour Muslim councillors and members will have to make a decision. What represents their beliefs best, the Labour Party or the communitarian groups claiming to be pro-Palestinian? And are these councillors willing to fight for those beliefs?

Some of them will lose their seats.

But then, why are our councillors in politics? If it is to pick up a handy pay-cheque at the end of the month, we might be better off without them. If they are determined to change society for the better, well, they are in a political struggle and there are no guarantees about the outcomes.

And while the focus is on Muslim councillors at the moment, we are very aware that other councillors have been largely silent and invisible in this campaign. Maybe they feel that the whole problem will just go away.

We suspect that it won’t and that sectarian and communitarian politics is now embedded in the Newham political psyche. Rokhsana Fiaz was willing to embrace communitarian politics in order to get selected, she, or rather Labour is now paying the price of that decision.