A Cabinet minister said he “wouldn’t have used that language” after a Tory MP described pro-Palestine demonstrators clashing with police as “primitives”.
Campaigners called for Michael Fabricant to be suspended from the Tory party on Sunday night after he shared a video of clashes with police outside the Israeli Embassy in London and wrote: “These primitives are trying to bring to London what they do in the Middle East.”
However, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said it was not the language he personally would use and called for a “calmer response”.
He told Times Radio: “I wouldn’t use that language. Michael has been very vocal in his views on this subject for a long time.
“I think we want to see a de-escalation, we want to see a much calmer response if that’s fair.
“But of course, Michael is entitled to his views. I wouldn’t have used that language, but he’s been very clear about where he stands on this issue.”
Anti-racism campaigners Hope Not Hate called for the Conservative Party to suspend the backbencher last night, accusing him of “hateful racism that stirs up division”.
Mr Fabricant sought to justify the comments, saying that “attacks on the British police as shown in the video are disgraceful”. He said: “It is primitive behaviour by people who preach anti-Semitism or racism of any kind, whether they be Jewish, Christian or Muslim.
“And the sort of anti-Semitism displayed by Hamas in the Middle East must not be repeated here in the UK.”
The MP for Lichfield has deleted the message.
