Corbyn egging incident sparks ‘Nazi’ Twitter row
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn being assaulted with an egg at a London mosque has sparked a “Nazi” Twitter row featuring Countdown’s Rachel Riley and the Guardian’s Owen Jones.
Journalist Jones lashed out at the TV presenter for using one of his old tweets to justify the attack on Corbyn at Finsbury Park mosque on Sunday.
Riley shared a screengrab of a Jones tweet from January 2019 about former British National Party leader Nick Griffin being pelted with eggs.
Good advice. 🌹🥚 pic.twitter.com/oqr0UNFrxU
— Rachel Riley (@RachelRileyRR) March 3, 2019
In a thread of follow-up tweets Jones accused Riley of undermining the seriousness of the attack on Corbyn and of labelling the opposition leader a Nazi.
A Brexiteer protester threw an egg at Jeremy Corbyn outside the same mosque which was attacked in 2017 by a far right terrorist, whose main motive was murdering Corbyn himself.The tweet you're quoting refers to Nick Griffin, *an actual Nazi*. You're in the absolute gutter. https://t.co/YYJMdDFK7i
— Owen Jones🌹 (@OwenJones84) March 3, 2019
Do you think it's probably time to delete your tweet and apologise, @RachelRileyRR? pic.twitter.com/ldICjxHik2
— Owen Jones🌹 (@OwenJones84) March 3, 2019
He also took aim at Conservative MP James Cleverly, accusing him of “cheering on the attack” for responding to Riley with an enthusiastic “Boom!” meme.
— James Cleverly MP (@JamesCleverly) March 3, 2019
Cleverly shot back that he was not celebrating the attack on his political opponent, rather he was seeking to highlight Jones’ “hypocrisy.”
Seems a lot of people can’t tell the difference between advocating eggs being thrown at people (which I’m not) and me supporting RR in highlighting hypocrisy (which I am).Don’t throw eggs at people, even if you disagree with them. (In case you’re not sure of my views on this)
— James Cleverly MP (@JamesCleverly) March 3, 2019
31-year-old John Murphy has been charged with ‘assault by beating’ for attacking Corbyn. He was holding an egg during the incident which took place at the same mosque that was attacked by right-wing terrorist Darren Osborne in June 2017.
If @RachelRileyRR thinks it's acceptable to compare refusing to condemn an anti-fascist egging a Nazi with a rightwing protester egging Corbyn - who she is de facto calling a Nazi - outside a mosque targeted by a far right terrorist who wanted him dead, she has no moral compass.
— Owen Jones🌹 (@OwenJones84) March 3, 2019
READ MORE: JK Rowling among secret breakaway Labour group ‘planning new anti-Corbyn party’
Riley, who is Jewish, has been vocal in her criticism of Corbyn and the handling of his party’s anti-semitism scandal. Her tweet received more than 7,000 ‘likes’, and caused ‘Corbyn is a Nazi’ to trend on Twitter in the UK.
Like this story? Share it with a friend!
