Diane Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, is facing criticism for a now-deleted tweet regarding the tragic shipwreck off the coast of Italy that claimed the lives of 41 migrants. The incident occurred when a ship carrying migrants capsized near the island of Lampedusa after being hit by a large wave. Only four individuals survived the disaster.
In her tweet which was removed slightly over an hour after posting, Abbott shared a link to an article about the shipwreck and wrote, “These migrants have indeed f***** off. To the bottom of the sea.”
This controversial statement emerged in response to a comment made by Conservative deputy chairman Lee Anderson. Anderson’s statement on Monday suggested that migrants who are unwilling to be housed on a barge should “f*** off back to France.” Abbott had previously criticized Anderson’s remarks, labeling them a “new low even for the Tories.” Anderson clarified that his comment targeted “illegal migrants” rather than genuine asylum seekers.
Abbott’s tweet provoked immediate backlash from users on X (formerly Twitter). Brendan Clarke-Smith, the Tory MP for Bassetlaw, accused Abbott and the Labour Party of capitalizing on the tragedy for political motives. He asserted that while Labour’s stance on immigration and national security was known, exploiting such tragedies for their agenda was disappointing.
Diane Abbott, currently an independent MP due to her suspension from the parliamentary Labour Party, had her party membership suspended in April after making remarks suggesting that Jewish people face prejudice rather than racism, likening it to the experiences of “redheads.”
