Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman says she receives death threats “on a daily basis” after a minister announced his decision to step down over safety fears.
Mike Freer, Conservative MP for the north London constituency of Finchley and Golders Green, saw his office become the subject of an arson attack in December, an act he said was the “final straw”.
Expressing solidarity with Freer was the former Home Secretary, who admitted to finding herself in a similar position.
She told Camilla Tominey on GB News that Freer’s resignation was a “damning indictment” of British society.
Suella Braverman says she still receives police protection
GB NEWS
“One of the most upstanding and honourable members of our Parliament and Government has been hounded out of office because of Islamism, extremism, antisemitism and homophobia”, she said.
Asked by the GB News whether she has been on the receiving end of similar threats, Braverman admitted they come on a “daily basis”.
“Unfortunately, it is the bread and butter of life in the public eye”, she said.
Asked if she has had to retain personal protection since leaving office, Braverman said that after an assessment, it was deemed appropriate that she continues to be afforded security.
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“Usually Home Secretaries lose their personal protection when they leave office”, she said.
“I have been assessed and I am very grateful to the Parliamentary authorities who have afforded me ongoing protection.”
Speaking to GB News on Thursday, Justice Minister Freer called for social media firms to take more action against content that incites violence against MPs.
He said: “Email and social media (companies) have a lot to answer for, because it can be kind of anonymous, certainly (on) social media.
Mike Freer told GB News he was forced to quit as an MP after repeated concerns for his safetyGB News
Suella Braverman joined Camilla Tominey on GB News
GB NEWS
“Social media companies do very little to just stop it.”
Downing Street described the “vitriolic hatred” that Freer has faced as an “attack on British democracy”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister is extremely saddened that minister Freer has faced such vitriolic hatred that he feels he is no longer able to serve his local community.
“The Prime Minister believes that serving and representing your community is a unique privilege and making a difference to people’s lives is the most rewarding job you can do.
“No elected representative deserves to be abused or intimidated and the attacks and abuse that Mike Freer references are clearly deeply distressing. They’re not just an attack on him but an attack on British democracy.”
Freer announced that he would not fight the next election, telling the Daily Mail: “There comes a point when the threats to your personal safety become too much.”
He said he and his staff had started wearing stab vests after learning he had narrowly avoided being attacked by Ali Harbi Ali, who went on to murder Southend West MP Sir David Amess in 2021 after watching for Freer at his Finchley office.
He said he had also received death threats from a group calling themselves Muslims Against Crusades, and added that the arson attack on his constituency office in December had been “the final straw”.
Freer, who has pro-Israel views and represents a heavily Jewish constituency, said “I don’t think we can divorce” antisemitism from the intimidation.
Two people appeared in court on Thursday charged in connection with the fire at Freer’s office, which police said is not being treated as a hate crime.
The court heard that both deny setting fire to anything, but they are yet to formally enter pleas.
