George Galloway dedicates political victory to Gaza

[Anthea]

Congratulations George Galloway

George Galloway has supported Kurds for many years and I am delighted he is now supporting Palestinians. George is probably the ONLY politician who dares to tell the truth

LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - Veteran left-wing political maverick George Galloway was elected as the new lawmaker for the English town of Rochdale on Friday, vowing to be a thorn in the side for the opposition Labour Party over Gaza before a national election it is tipped to win.

After running a pro-Palestinian campaign, Galloway won over many of Rochdale's Muslim community by attacking both Labour and Britain's governing Conservatives for supporting Israel in its war against Hamas, making a foreign conflict the major issue - unusual in a by-election where local concerns usually dominate.

Elected to parliament for the seventh time, Galloway will be an irritant to Labour, a party he once belonged to before being ejected for criticising then-prime minister Tony Blair over the Iraq war. (Galloway was correct)

His victory underlines the divisions in Britain over the Israel-Hamas war, which is in its fifth month and has brought protesters onto British streets in support of both sides.

More than 30,000 people have been killed during Israel's military campaign in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities say. This follows an attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel on Oct. 7, when Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 253 taken hostage.

British lawmakers have faced threats to do more to bring an end to the fighting in Gaza and with the national election later this year, Galloway's return to parliament will be short-lived but explosive.

"Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak are two cheeks of the same backside and they both got well and truly spanked tonight here in Rochdale," Galloway said in his victory speech. A heckler challenging him on his climate change credentials was drowned out by supporters chanting "Galloway".

Galloway won 12,335 votes compared with 6,638 for second-placed David Tully, an independent candidate. The former Labour candidate, Azhar Ali, came fourth after the opposition party pulled its support from him over a recording espousing conspiracy theories about Israel.

The leader of right-wing Reform UK, Richard Tice, said the campaign had been marred by intimidation and abuse of his party's candidate and campaigners. His party's candidate came sixth.

It will be the first time Galloway's left-wing Workers Party of Britain has been represented in parliament.

For some in Rochdale, a former cotton mill town near to Manchester, the so-called by-election, triggered by the death of Labour lawmaker Tony Lloyd last month, had failed to offer them a clear choice of someone determined to help their town, ranked in the top 5% most deprived English local authorities in 2019.

Galloway also campaigned to reinstate maternity services in Rochdale but it was his message on Gaza that rang loudest.

He has vowed to speak out on Gaza in parliament, challenging Labour, which initially gave full backing to Israel following the Oct. 7 attack. The party has since shifted its position to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

It is a headache Starmer could do without. He has struggled to maintain party unity over its position on Gaza. He avoided having to put the divisions on show last week when his party was allowed to put forward its own stance on a ceasefire.

"We regretted that we weren't able to have a candidate," Labour lawmaker Ellie Reeves told Times Radio, criticising Galloway for stoking "division and fear."

Galloway, a colourful figure who became well known after he impersonated a cat on a reality television show in 2006, will try to exploit Labour's divisions.

"I want to tell Mr Starmer above all, that the plates have shifted tonight," he said. "This is going to spark a movement, a landslide, a shifting of the tectonic plates."

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/with-l ... 024-03-01/

Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, additional reporting by Phil Noble in Rochdale and Farouq Suleiman in London, Editing by Gareth Jones and Lincoln Feast and Miral Fahmy.

[Anthea]

Al Mayadeen congratulates George Galloway on victory

In a letter addressed to newly-elected MP George Galloway, Mr. Ghassan Ben Jeddou praises his unwavering support for freedom, Palestine, and Gaza's Resistance

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Mayadeen Media Network, Mr. Ghassan Ben Jeddou, congratulates the newly-elected MP George Galloway on his sweeping victory in the Rochdale by-election on Friday.

Hereunder is the full letter:

From Al Mayadeen, the voice of free Arab and international public opinion, to George Galloway, the voice of freedom and progressivism in the Western world;

Congratulations on your resounding victory in the elections!

Your win is not only well-deserved but also a testament to your unwavering dedication to progress and freedom in the West.

Your triumph resonates as a beacon of hope for all those who resist oppression and for Gaza which is resisting a brutal genocide and extermination. It symbolizes a triumph of humanitarian values and political integrity over the forces of aggression, hostility, slaughter, and injustice prevailing in Britain and the West - those who were instrumental in establishing "Israel".

Your victory is a testament to your strength as a fighter and a reminder that justice prevails over defamation, arrogance, and exclusion.

Well done, George, on this momentous achievement!

We extend our heartfelt pride to you, George Galloway, esteemed activist, intellectual, politician, and media luminary.

Your unwavering support for freedom, Palestine, and Gaza's Resistance embodies utmost solidarity with the oppressed.

Congratulations once more! We are certain you will continue to champion justice, confront challenges, and stand in solidarity with the downtrodden and vulnerable worldwide.

Your Brother,
Ghassan Ben Jeddou

Galloway dedicates victory to Gaza

George Galloway swept to victory in the Rochdale by-election in Greater Manchester, making a major comeback to the UK parliament after garnering around 40% of the total count.

He secured an impressive victory with 12,335 votes - 39.7% of the total - surpassing predictions and establishing a significant 5,697-vote majority.

Independent candidate David Tully came in second, while Conservative Paul Simon Ellison came in third and the former Labour candidate, Azhar Ali, came in fourth after losing support from the opposition party over accusations against "Israel".

"[Labout Party leader] Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza," Galloway said in his victory speech. Throughout his campaign, he criticized both Labour and the Conservatives for their support of the Israeli occupation entity in its war on Gaza.

"You will pay a high price for the role that you have played in enabling, encouraging, and covering for the catastrophe presently going on in occupied Gaza, in the Gaza Strip," he stressed, addressing the incumbent Labour leader.

This marks the leftist Member of Parliament's seventh parliamentary win and poses a challenge to Labour, a party he was once part of but was expelled from for criticizing then-Prime Minister Tony Blair over the Iraq war.

Galloway's victory marks the inaugural representation of his left-wing Workers Party of Britain in parliament.

His unwavering support for Palestine and Gaza throughout his career has naturally caused tension between him and both American and British politics. He has spoken publicly during conferences and events to remind the public of the atrocities being carried out in Gaza and Palestine by "Israel", and he has walked out during multiple meetings in refusal of debating with Israelis.

He currently hosts a talk show on YouTube called Mother of All Talk Shows (MOATS), in which he tackles global political matters, but the main highlight concerns Gaza. Galloway also hosts a show on Al Mayadeen called Kalima Horra, in which he also talks about the same matters.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ng-rochdal