A pro-Israel lawmaker from a predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood in London declared on 31st January that he won’t contest in the upcoming general elections in the United Kingdom. In a letter to the head of the Finchley and Golders Green branch of the Conservative Party, Member of Parliament and Justice Minister Mike Freer mentioned multiple “serious threats” to his safety since joining the legislature in 2010, but he did not provide a particular explanation for his decision not to run for re-election.
He stated, “I am writing to inform you that after considerable thought, I have decided not to seek the nomination as the Conservative Party Candidate at the next General Election. As you can imagine this has not been an easy decision. Having first being elected to serve residents of West Finchley in 1990 as a local Councillor, going on to be Leader of Barnet Council and then the Member of Parliament for Finchley & Golders Green, I have been in public service for our area for thirty-four years.”
He raised concerns of potential dangers to his safety and the arson assaults carried out by extremist Muslim elements. He emphasised that he cannot work in such circumstances. “Since my election as MP in 2010 I have sadly had several serious threats to my personal safety. The attacks by Muslims Against Crusades, Ali Harbi Ali and the recent arson attack (where the motives remain unclear) have weighed heavily on me and my husband, Angelo. These serious incidents are alongside the many ‘low-level’ incidents.”
He added, “No MP can operate effectively without the support of their spouse and wider family. Sadly the serious incidents place intolerable stress on them too. It will be an enormous wrench to step down, it has been the privilege of my life to serve the wonderfully diverse and vibrant area that is Finchley & Golders Green. Serving the constituents and getting things done is what makes the job worthwhile. I am also deeply grateful for the unwavering support from the local Association membership and of course, our Agent, Rachel Shawcross. You and they can be assured of my continued support for the Party locally and nationally.
A sitting MP in Britain is stepping down because of threats to his life from Muslim extremists. This is not ‘Diverse and vibrant’. Not at all. pic.twitter.com/AM942tCX9Z
— Douglas Murray (@DouglasKMurray) January 31, 2024
The statement was made a few weeks following the arson attack at the politician’s constituency office in which police launched an inquiry in December last year. At the time, he noted the potential arson as “just one of the many threats” he had recently encountered. There are two people under investigation for the incident, which he remarked was sparked by his opinions and that he now believed was the “final straw” in his internal battle over whether to continue in politics.
Mike Freer belongs to the Conservative Friends of Israel group. He left his position as parliamentary secretary in 2014 in order to oppose a motion that would have recognized the state of Palestine. The two-state solution “should be the end, not the start of the process,” according to him at the time.
He was informed by the police in 2021 that Ali Harbi Ali, who later killed Southend West MP Sir David Amess and had plans to assassinate other Tory leaders, had been spying on him at work. The radical arrived at Mike Freer’s office one day when the latter was surprisingly not present there. The MP and his employees have carried panic alarms and donned stab vests ever since.
“There comes a point when the threats to your personal safety become too much. I was very lucky that actually on the day (of Ali’s attempted attack) I was due to be in Finchley, I happened to change my plans and came into Whitehall. Otherwise who knows whether I would have been attacked or survived an attack? He said he came to Finchley to attack me.” he highlighted.
Ali Harbi Ali was reportedly waiting with a knife outside his north London constituency office when the leader cancelled preparations for surgery in his Finchley and Golders Green constituency the following day and stayed in Westminster when Boris Johnson was pushing him out of the whips office.
Ten years prior, Muslims Against Crusades called on its adherents to assail him. The group uploaded a photo of him online along with the words, “Let Stephen Timms be a warning to you,” in response to the Labour MP Stephen Timms being stabbed by an Al Qaeda follower.
Although he is not blindly supportive of the Israeli government, he is persuaded that his position on the matter is what has caused the years of harassment and threats he has experienced. “I’m a strong supporter of the two-state solution. I’m not completely Israel, come hell or high water. But, yes, I do support the Israeli government on the eradication of Hamas, very firmly and very robustly.”
Furthermore, he felt angry about the anti-Semitism that many of his compatriots exhibited especially in the wake of the terror group Hamas’ 7th October onslaught on Israel. “I know of no other schools that need security other than Jewish schools. I don’t know places of worship that need security. I don’t know shops – shops might have security for shoplifting, but not to stop their shoppers being attacked.”
