Murdered MP was preparing report on far-right politics and Islamophobia

Last Updated: June 21, 2016By
A union flag flies at half mast at the Houses of Parliament in honour of Labour MP Jo Cox. [Image: Niklas Halle'N/AFP/Getty Images].

A union flag flies at half mast at the Houses of Parliament in honour of Labour MP Jo Cox. [Image: Niklas Halle’N/AFP/Getty Images].

I know.

It’s just a coincidence, right?

Labour MP Jo Cox was preparing a report for Parliament on the rise of Islamophobia and the dangers of aggressive nationalist radicals before she was killed outside her constituency surgery, it has emerged.

The mother of two died after being shot and stabbed in the street in Birstall, West Yorkshire.

The 41-year-old had recorded a video in which she spoke about preventing Islamophobia and said that in her constituency “many of our young women don’t feel safe when they’re out on the street”, according to the Times.

The video and report were both planned to be launched on June 29.

Ms Cox worked on the report with Tell Mama, a charity that monitors anti-Muslim incidents in the UK, and has warned of a surge in aggression and Islamophobia in the past year.

Source: Jo Cox ‘was preparing report on far-right nationalists and rise of Islamophobia’ | Home News | News | The Independent

Happily, her work is to be taken up by a Parliamentary committee:

A powerful committee of MPs is set to investigate the danger the political far right poses in the wake of the stabbing and shooting to death of Jo Cox.

The home affairs committee will discuss the issue next week and its chair, Labour MP Keith Vaz, said he was already aware some committee members wanted an inquiry.

Vaz said: “The rise of far-right extremism needs to be studied and acted on with much greater determination and members of the committee have asked that we do so urgently.” He added: “There are strong arguments as to why we should look at this issue.”

Combating domestic extremism is the responsibility of the police and any inquiry by MPs is likely to look at the scale of the threat and whether it is being combated effectively.

Source: MPs set to investigate far right in wake of Jo Cox killing | UK news | The Guardian

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10 Comments

  1. David June 21, 2016 at 2:06 pm - Reply

    Followers of radical Islam and Islamaphobics are as vicious as each other. It will be a good day when we don’t have either in any country.

  2. Christine Cullen June 21, 2016 at 2:11 pm - Reply

    I read this on Prides Purge today by Tom Pride. https://tompride.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/the-letters-that-show-thomas-mair-was-not-a-loner-but-a-far-right-political-activist-known-to-the-fbi/
    All things considered, this definitely seems like a political murder to me, and I hope it gets treated as such.

    • Mike Sivier June 21, 2016 at 3:11 pm - Reply

      Thanks, Christine – I saw this on Twitter yesterday but couldn’t find it when I wanted to do a link to it today.

  3. mrmarcpc June 21, 2016 at 2:30 pm - Reply

    The tories will sweep it under the carpet!

  4. Christine Cullen June 21, 2016 at 3:21 pm - Reply

    You’re welcome Mike. Tom Pride is often worth a look.

  5. Hairyloon June 21, 2016 at 4:48 pm - Reply

    Coincidence seems more likely: the conspiracy is not best convincing.
    But if we are going for unconvincing conspiracies, consider the thrust of the subsequent debate about how we have a pervasive hatred of the political class.
    Can you think of a better martyr to demonstrate the antithesis of those we are angry with to diffuse that anger?

    • Mike Sivier June 21, 2016 at 8:33 pm - Reply

      Did I suggest there was a conspiracy? No. You are trying to lie about me again!
      Try considering whether a single far-right activist with an interest in making home-made deadly weapons might do something rash if he heard that his MP was preparing such a report about people like him.

    • Nick June 21, 2016 at 10:33 pm - Reply

      jo was like myself a normal person who has always looked out for others and not themselves

      it’s very simple most people are normal and decent and throughout my 50 years of travel that is how i have found people

      there are small pockets of selfish bitter people however scattered across the uk and wider world i know iv’e met them’ they have always been ok with me thou and have always parted on good terms

      most people when they go and vote will think like jo and i of others and not themselves making sure the future will be for the in group

  6. NMac June 22, 2016 at 9:24 am - Reply

    Is there any way that this character Mair could have been aware that Jo was preparing such a report?

    • Mike Sivier June 22, 2016 at 10:23 am - Reply

      I would say yes. If somebody was asking questions about a group that interested you, or of which you were a member, you’d probably find out about it sooner or later, wouldn’t you?
      That’s not to say that he definitely did, though. All we can discuss at the moment are possibilities.

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