Diane Abbott faces calls to resign over 'racist' tweet that says 'white people love to play divide and rule'
- Abbott walks off mid-interview to take phone call in which she received 'severe dressing down from Ed Miliband'
- Shadow minister claims comments were 'taken out of context'
- Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi calls for Abbott to quit or Ed Miliband to sack her
- George Galloway wades into the row to DEFEND the Labour politician
- Nick Clegg says Abbott's comments were 'stupid and crass'
- Labour spokesman says party disagrees with the tweets
- Abbott apologises 'for any offence caused'
Last updated at 12:50 PM on 5th January 2012
Black MP Diane Abbott is facing calls to quit over a remark on Twitter that has been deemed racist against white people.
The shadow minister for public health said during a conversation about the sentencing of Stephen Lawrence's murderers that 'white people love to play "divide and rule",' adding 'we should not play their game'.
The tweet came with a hashtag that spelt out 'tactic as old as colonialism'.
Her comment was made to freelance journalist Bim Adewunmi, another Twitter user who had been commenting about the sentencing of Gary Dobson and David Norris for Stephen's murder.
Scroll down for a video
Abbott's comment about 'divide and rule' have caused a Twitter storm with users calling for her resignation
The full conversation between Diane Abbott and freelance journalist, Bim Adewunmi following the sentencing of Stephen Lawrence's killers
Ms Abbott responded this morning saying that her comment had been 'taken out of context'
Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi has today called for Abbott to quit, saying: 'A healthy society should not tolerate any form of racism. DAbott should apologise and resign or EdM must sack her.
'DAbbott of all people should lead by example. Must resign.'
Abbott eventually apologised this morning saying: 'I understand people have interpreted my comments as making generalisations about white people. I do not believe in doing that.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT IN WHICH SHE WALKED OFF TO TAKE A CALL FROM ED MILIBAND
Sophy Ridge: Can you understand the consternation that your tweet has created?
Diane Abbott: Well I was actually referring to the nature of 19th century European colonialism, but that's a bit much to go into 140 characters
SR: But if you look at it out of context, saying 'white people love to divide and rule' is a pretty controversial remark if people don't see it in context. Do you accept that it was not a wise thing to put out there?
DA: I think the tweet was taken out of context and some people have interpreted it maliciously
SR: Well, explain to us then, and for our viewers who are talking about this and there's a lot of Twitter activity going on, explain to us what you actually meant by it
Abbott's phone had started ringing and, indicating to Miss Ridge, she said 'Can I just...' before walking off camera.
'I apologise for any offence caused.'
The Labour Party has also distanced itself from the MP's remarks.
During an interview with Sky News
this morning she said: 'I think the tweet has been taken out of context
and some people have misinterpreted it maliciously.'
In the middle of the interview she took a phone call and ran off camera.
Sophy Ridge, political correspondent at Sky News, said that she believes the phone call that interrupted Abbot's interview was from Ed Miliband.
Miss Ridge claimed he 'gave her "severe dressing down" and told [her] to apologise'. She added: 'He made it clear she had to apologise personally to him,the Labour party & anybody who was offended.'
A spokesman said: 'We disagree with Diane’s tweet. It is wrong to make sweeping generalisations about any race, creed, or culture.
'The Labour Party has always campaigned against such behaviour – and so has Diane Abbott.'
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called on Ms Abbott to explain herself. He said: 'I think what Diane Abbott said was just stupid and crass generalisation.'
Mr Miliband told Ms Abbott that the remark was unacceptable, shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said.
'The contents of the tweet were
clearly unacceptable and Diane has, of course, therefore unreservedly
apologised for that,' he told BBC News.
'I should say that the leader of the
Labour Party, Ed Miliband, has spoken to her this morning and made it
very clear, in no uncertain terms, that the contents of the tweet were
unacceptable and Diane agrees with that.'
He said people would not 'seriously think Diane is a racist'.
'Diane has campaigned for equality, and campaigned against prejudice, over many years,' he said.
The Twitter storm erupted yesterday when Abbot, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, responded to Ms Adewunmi who had been tweeting about the Stephen Lawrence trial.
Abbott gave a short interview on Sky News this morning where she repeated that her comments had been taken out of context
The vocal MP, who appeared on BBC's This Week until she stood for the Labour leadership, took a phone call mid-interview
She then scurried off without answering any further questions from reporters
Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi took to Twitter to say that Abbott should resign or be sacked by Ed Miliband
Former shadow minister Paul Goodman also called for Abbott to stand down or face the consequences
Duncan Bannatyne said that he believes Diane Abbott's displayed a lack of common sense
Ms Adewunmi initially wrote 'I do wish everyone would stop saying "the black community" though. WHICH ONE?'
After reading feedback from her followers she then clarified her comment saying 'I hate the generally lazy thinking behind the use of the term. Same for "black community leaders".'
Diane Abbott has faced criticism in the past over her decision to send her son to a private school
In response Abbott said that Ms Adewunmi was playing to a 'divide and rule' agenda.
She added: 'Ethnic communities that show more public solidarity & unity than black people do much better #dontwashdirtylineninpublic'.
'I am not talking cultural differences. I am talking political tactics. #dontwashdirtylineninpublic.'
Following the Twitter storm, Abbott posted another tweet to say that her comments had been 'taken out of context'.
Former MP George Galloway today waded in on the furore by defending Abbot.
He said: 'Diane Abbott has been my friend for 25 years; only the obtuse would think her a "racist".'
Influential political blogger Guido Fawkes today accused Abbott of ‘slamming an entire group of people based on the colour of their skin’.
An entry on the blog continued ‘She is a shadow minister and represents a constituency that is 61% white.
'"Sections 17 to 29 of the Public Order Act 1986 are pretty clear on statements like this.
'They cover deliberately provoking hatred of a racial group, distributing racist material to the public, and perhaps most notably in this case, inciting inflammatory rumours about an ethnic group, for the purpose of spreading racial discontent".'
Paul Goodman, a former Conservative MP, also called for her to quit saying: 'Even the most clear-cut apology won't do.
'Nadhim Zahawi MP believes that Abbott should quit and Miliband should fire her if she doesn't. This view is severe but correct.'
HOW THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME ABBOTT HAS LANDED IN HOT WATER
Today's Twitter storm is the latest in a number of blunders made by the MP who positioned herself as an anti-racism campaigner, once claiming that Britain had 'invented racism'.
In 2010 Abbott called David Cameron and Nick Clegg 'two posh white boys', sparking claims of racism on the BBC's internet message boards. One wrote: 'I am sure that if a posh white person sat on this programme and mentioned a colour comment like that, there would be uproar.'
The same year, she was criticised over remarks she made on BBC's This Week over her decision to send her son James to a private school. Andrew Neil quoted her saying that 'West Indian mums will go to the wall for their children'.
Mr Neil responded by asking: 'So black mums love their kids more than white mums, do they?'
Furious Abbott said: 'I have said everything I am going to say about where I send my son to school.'
Previously, Abbott face accusations of racism suggesting that the 'blonde blue-eyed Finnish girls' working in her local hospital were unsuitable as nurses because they had 'never met a black person before'.
Abbott has positioned herself as an anti-racism campaigner and once claimed that Britain had 'invented racism'.
The latest row follows a previous race controversy on the same show, fronted by Andrew Neil, last year, after he compared Abbott to a chocolate HobNob biscuit.
Works both ways I'm afraid love......... resign now
- Stan, Lincs, 05/1/2012 13:09
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