MP FOR Coventry South, Zara Sultana has hit out at an online troll after she received a death threat and racial abuse in an email.
This comes after BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Radio issued an apology to Ms Sultana after falsely alleging that she had “suggested Nato is responsible for the crisis in Ukraine.”
Ms Sultana said this attack is the direct result of inaccurate media reports and deliberately misleading press comments.
“Like all my colleagues, I am horrified at the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“I stand with the people of Ukraine and have unequivocally condemned Putin’s actions; I loathe his authoritarian, nationalist and right-wing regime.
“I must make clear at this stage that these accusations have crossed the line from false to dangerous.”
She added that the recent media rhetoric feeds into the torrent of abuse and threats to her safety.
“As an MP, it is impossible to forget that two of my colleagues have been assassinated in recent years.
“As a young Muslim woman, I am acutely aware of risks to my safety. I have been open about the Islamophobic abuse and threats I regularly receive, with racist portrayals of me as a “foreigner”, a “traitor”, and an “enemy” of Britain.
“I would urge all those who have engaged in misleading reporting and such rhetoric to reflect carefully on its potentially grave consequences.”
“This McCarthyite environment doesn’t just increase the threat of violence to public figures. It also threatens to weaken our democracy, radically narrowing political debate and silencing dissent to establishment opinion.
“That is deeply unhealthy for our society and must be challenged.”
Ms Sultana has reported the death threat she received to the police and has contacted the Chair of the Labour Party to emphasise to her the seriousness of “party sources” disseminating dangerous and irresponsible messages.
