Michael Fabricant MP: “I could never appear on a discussion prog with @y_alibhai I would either end up with a brain haemorrhage or by punching her in the throat.”
Brtish-Asian columnist and writer Yasmin Alibhai-Brown urges the Tory leadership to take action against Tory MP Michael Fabricant for making violent tweets against her for her remarks at a Channel 4 debate.
Mr Fabricant is MP for Lichfield in Staffordshire. stunned the Twitter world by a tweet saying “punching her (Alibhai-Brown) in the throat”.
Mr Fabricant made the violent comments on Twitter after journalist Alibhai-Brown went toe to toe on Channel 4 News with author Rod Liddle.
The tweet said: “I could never appear on a discussion prog with @y_alibhai I would either end up with a brain haemorrhage or by punching her in the throat.”
Mr Fabricant said he was wrong to joke about punching. “I, of course, withdraw and apologise,” he said.
Ms Alibhai-Brown said an apology was not enough and the Lichfield MP should have his party whip withdrawn.
Ms Alibhai-Brown said she was shocked and has called on David Cameron to withdraw his party whip.
“The Tories can’t bear people like me,” she told BBC. “They expect people like me to be their ayah [nursemaid] wiping their bottoms or selling them cigarettes in the corner shop; this idea of a nursing maid looking after their children. They cannot accept we are confident.”
Ms Alibhai-Brown also told The Huffington Post UK: “I am of course appalled that a Tory MP thinks it’s OK to fantasise aloud about wanting to beat up an Asian woman, but not surprised.
“Some years ago a Tory councillor in Birmingham called for me to be stoned to death. They can’t bear it that there are now women like me out there, not being their ayahs or selling them curries.
“The Tory leadership will have to take some action against this man. They should also understand this is why most minorities will not vote for them.”
The row between Liddle and Alibhai-Brown started as he gave his appraisal of Islam and how immigration had changed Britain.
“I’m very much in favour of feminist Muslims and I wish there were a lot more of them.”
But he added: “I’m not terribly keen on Islam, because (laughs) I’m not in favour of what it.. it seems to lend itself to a certain homophobia, I don’t agree with its views in most Islamic states on apostasy, I don’t agree with its view towards women, that’s why I’m not particularly keen.”
Alibhai-Brown responded: “One of the interesting things about Mr Liddle is that he tries so very hard to be reasonable and not to be bigoted, but actually the bigotry just bursts out of him.
“You know what, Mr Liddle, the thing that destroyed white working class people were your boss Rupert Murdoch from who you get hundreds and thousands of pounds every year, and Margaret Thatcher. She took away the structure of this society, not Mr Khan down the road.”
Then Alibhai-Brown dropped the bombshell. “I have no words to express how much I loathe you and I feel quite proud that I am able to tell you that.”
Liddle looked sheepish, almost lost for words, before he starts rocking and when asked how he feels he says: “I feel warm inside and I’d like to embrace Yasmin for saying that.”