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8 August 2014updated 23 Jul 2021 9:43am

George Galloway MP under investigation over anti-Israel remarks

The Respect MP is being investigated by the police for calling on Bradford to be “declared an Israel-free zone”.

By Anoosh Chakelian

The Respect MP for Bradford George Galloway is being investigated by the West Yorkshire Police after complaints about a speech he made in Leeds declaring his constituency “an Israel-free zone”.

Police officers said that two complaints had been made about his speech, in which he called on the city to reject all Israeli goods, services, and even tourists:

We don’t want any Israeli goods; we don’t want any Israeli services; we don’t want any Israeli academics coming to the university or the college.

We don’t even want any Israeli tourists to come to Bradford even if any of them had thought of doing so.

We reject this illegal, barbarous, savage state that calls itself Israel – and you have to do the same.

The BBC reports that a spokesperson for Galloway, Ron McKay, says Galloway doesn’t regret the comments:

George stands by the comments – he thinks they are quite reasonable

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The reason he made them is because there’s mass carnage and mass slaughter going on against the people of Gaza.

Direct action helped in the struggle against apartheid.

Here he is making the remarks:

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