A Labour MP has claimed he is being threatened by a group of masked pro-Palestinian activists who have blocked his constituency offices and even thrown a can of baked beans at him.
Luke Charters, the MP for York Outer, said the activists have ‘charged’ him with genocide and used ‘intimidating methods’ to pressure him over the war in Gaza.
He said he has become a target in his home town and over the weekend, protesters with megaphones attempted to block entry to his office, scaring away his constituents.
Mr Charters has also claimed protesters chanting ‘Labour, Labour, genocide’ threw a can of baked beans at him at York’s Pride parade earlier this month.
Meanwhile in March, he says he found scratches on his car after being followed by a group of activists following a local Labour conference.
Mr Charters, whose wife Beth is due to give birth next week, described the events as ‘serious and unsettling’.
He told The Times: ‘I’m trying to support Beth as much as I can but instead I’m forced to explain what are really serious and unsettling incidents that lead to emergency responses to protect my safety.
‘I’m a father first and an MP second… no father should have to go through that.’
Luke Charters, the MP for York Outer, said the activists have ‘charged’ him with genocide and used ‘intimidating methods’ to pressure him over the war in Gaza
Mr Charters has also claimed protesters chanting ‘Labour, Labour, genocide’ threw a can of baked beans at him at York’s Pride parade earlier this month (file photo)
Police are investigating all three incidents, but two cases have already been dropped to a lack of evidence, it has been reported.
Mr Charters, who was first elected to the House of Commons at the general election last year, said the actions of the protesters were ‘growing in intensity’.
He also said they had ‘crossed a line’ with regard to any attempt at carrying out a peaceful demonstration.
Mr Charters has insisted that the protesters have not changed his mind on Gaza and that they will not deter him from carrying out his duties as an MP.
‘If these people think this is going to deter me, they’re wrong. I’ve got an even stronger resolve to work harder for my constituents,’ he added.
Mr Charters’s comments on the protests come after a new report revealed that half of MPs feel unsafe because of threats made by the public.
Meanwhile, last year a damning dossier disclosed by The Telegraph revealed almost 40 incidents of MPs and councillors being ‘intimidated’ by pro-Palestine protesters.
Mr Charters has backed the Government’s position on the conflict in the Middle East, describing the level of suffering in Gaza as ‘utterly intolerable’.
He was also in favour of the decision to suspend talks on a trade deal with Israel last month.
Sir Keir Starmer, however, has been under sustained pressure to take a harder stance on Israel – suspending all arms exports and recognising Palestine as a state.
In a separate attack, he was also accused by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of ’emboldening Hamas’.
Home made placards are displayed as Pro-Palestinian protesters take part in a demonstration (file photo)
Mr Charters has insisted that the protesters have not changed his mind on Gaza and that they will not deter him from carrying out his duties as an MP
Labour MP Luke Pollard – the Armed Forces minister – later flatly rejected Mr Netanyahu’s remarks about Sir Keir.
Mr Pollard told LBC: ‘I don’t agree with those comments.
‘We condemn in the fullest possible terms the murder of the Israeli diplomats in the US. That is completely unacceptable.
‘But the argument that we have been making about how we bring peace to Israel and to the Palestinians is with a restoration of the immediate ceasefire.
‘With Hamas releasing the hostages without any further delay and for massive amounts of aid to get into Gaza to give the Palestinians the food, water and medical support that they need.
‘Now that’s an argument we’ve been making consistently, publicly, but also privately.
‘We’re going to continue doing that, because what we’re seeing, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, is unacceptable. I think everyone will be able to see that that’s unacceptable.
‘We oppose Hamas. We oppose the awful atrocities they committed on 7th October, and that is the reason why we want to see peace.
‘The only way to achieve that two-state solution that is good for Israelis and Palestinians alike is a restoration of the ceasefire, the hostages released and aid delivered to the people who really need it.’
Mr Pollard also stressed that Britain stood with Israel in their right to self defence, ‘but that self defence must be conducted within the bounds of international humanitarian law’.
MailOnline has contacted Mr Charters for comment.
