A series of dramatic incidents during the election campaign in Birmingham, one of which led to a coup, have been reported to police as enmity erupted between local election candidates and Easter residents. Individual incidents have provoked calls for high-level intervention and a call for calm.
In an incident seen in the video above, men clashed in Small Heath while Labor candidate Sakib Khan, backed by neighboring councilor Mohamed Idris, was handing out leaflets. Strikes were inflicted and a man was kicked several times during a fight on Kennelm Road on Saturday (April 16th).
Problems erupted as two men, with Labor supporters next to them, knocked on doors ahead of next month’s Birmingham City Hall election. After they were apparently verbally abused by a resident, a melee ensued. The Conservative leader in Birmingham said he expected the Labor Party to take “serious steps” if members were found to have been involved in the alleged attack.
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While strikes and kicks have been inflicted, passers-by try to intervene and stand between them. The shots were taken from a nearby home.
Cllr Idrees told BirminghamLive: “I was agitating when it exploded ten meters in front of us. A man was abusing and inciting violence against the knockers on the doors of the Labor Party – he was bringing brothers and sisters into it.
“I said we had to move on; avoid interfering. But then the blows began, while others tried to restrain him.
The fight broke out on the path of the campaign in Small Heath (Image: BirminghamLive)
As for why the note exploded, Cllr Idrees added: “He didn’t yell at me specifically, but I guess sometimes people just don’t like you. I don’t think there’s a story or reason behind it. “
A resident of Kennelm Road, who did not want to be named, said: “The people involved were just doing their job. He kept yelling at them to drop leaflets – that’s all they did. He started cursing them and bringing the family. They told him to stop, but he didn’t. ”
Kenelm Road, where the battle broke out (Image: Google)
Council leader Cllr Ian Ward said footage that had been widely circulated on social media showed that Cllr Idrees was “doing the right thing”. He said: “You can see Cllr Idrees pulling the man out of the house.
“He tried to do the right thing and showed restraint. I believe that the person who committed the abuse directed him to people distributing leaflets – and this is what provoked the incident.
Cllr Mohamed Idris.
“I condemn the violence. I will send a message to all Labor candidates to remind and emphasize the importance of holding these elections in a respectful manner. We must put an end to any provocation. “
West Midlands police have been linked to the incident but have not yet commented.
The leader of the Conservative group in Birmingham, Robert Alden, said: “There is no doubt that Labor will take serious action if a member of their party is involved or stands and watches the alleged attack on Small Heath.
Incidents after the campaign
In another shocking event, at the beginning of the Easter holidays, Liberal Democrat candidate Gary Moynihan faced a man as he knocked on the door of Bordesley Green. The man allegedly threatened to kill him and told him to leave the area, in what was later described as an incident rooted in homophobia.
It is alleged that the man criticized the support of the Liberal Democrats for the education program for equality without outsiders. Mr Moynihan told BirminghamLive: “It was not about me, it was about the policies of the Liberal Democrats that I support in connection with the No Outsiders program and our support for equality and diversity, and in particular our position on LGBTQ.
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“I stand in an area with a majority of Muslims, where the vast majority of people are honest and non-violent, but some members of our community have a problem with these problems and he decided to give it a try.”
He added: “I will not change my view and support for the LGBTQI community. I do not move the issue with the police and move on.
Earlier in the weekend, footage of a verbal brawl from the neighboring Ward End was posted on social media as Labor candidate Bushra Bi campaigned. A dispute has arisen between her supporters and local Tory candidate Hassan Ali, who has been accused of harassment and intimidation, a claim he later denied on social media. He was also a candidate of the Liberal Democrats nearby.
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The incident was reported by Cllr Nicki Brennan, who said: “It is really sad to hear that one of my fellow Labor candidates was harassed and followed by both Tory and Lib Dem candidates while campaigning in Ward End.
She added that it was difficult enough to get women candidates to come out without tactics like this. “I really hoped all the parties would promise to be kind in the election campaign,” she said. “No one should be made to feel insecure while campaigning or participating in politics.”
Liam Byrne, a Labor MP from the region, later wrote: “This is absolutely unacceptable behavior, which I reported to the Conservative and Liberal Democrat presidents tonight to ask them to investigate. No one who joins our great democracy should NEVER be harassed in this way. Solidarity with Bushra Ali and our Ward End team. ”
Robert Alden, leader of the local conservative group, said: “I was informed of a video circulating online and asked to see the full unedited version so we could find out exactly what happened. Obviously, harassment of all kinds is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics or in society at large. “
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