Death threats made against organiser of Brexit petition to revoke Article 50
'Who wants Brexit so much that they are prepared to kill for it?’
The woman behind the Brexit petition to revoke Article 50 has said she has received a ‘torrent of abuse.’
Margaret Anne Georgiadou said she has received three death threats over the phone and had her Facebook account hacked.
On Saturday morning, the petition reached well over 4,000,000 signatures and became the most signed protest in history.
The former college lecturer took to Twitter to detail the appalling abuse she had received.
‘Last night I had three telephoned death threats. Who wants Brexit so much that they are prepared to kill for it?’
On Friday, the former head of MI5 said that Brexit was helping to fuel an increasing number of attacks against MPs.
Lord Jonathan Evans, now chair of the parliamentary committee on standards in public life, said he was already aware that politicians were limiting what they said in public because of safety fears.
New figures show there were 142 offences reported against MPs in 2017 compared to 270 reports the following year.
They included death threats, harassment and physical assaults.
In the first 22 days of this year, there was an offence reported to police every day.
Lord Evans told BBC Radio 4’s The World at One programme he was extremely concerned.
‘There is abuse – which is undoubtedly happening – but when you get to the point of death threats and the daubing of properties, that is absolutely clearly beyond any acceptable level in a democracy.’
He said that the abuse ‘which is infecting public life’ was not purely related to Brexit-related issue, but added: ‘It is particularly acute at the moment because of the debate over our political future in or out of Europe.’
Politicians have been urged to take taxis home from Parliament and not to travel alone in the coming days.
Anti-Brexit Independent Group MP Anna Soubry has said she is unable to go to her constituency home in Nottinghamshire this weekend because she is facing ‘serious death threats.’
She said: ‘When a senior police officer tells your partner that if it was his wife in the situation that I am in he would say “I am frightened for her safety” I think that tells you everything.
‘I’m not alone in this – I mean Chuka has obviously had death threats, so many of us have had that – but this is the reality of it, that’s why the language that politicians and indeed everybody uses, including the media, is so important.’
The death threats against Ms Georgiadou came ahead of the People’s Vote march through the streets of London.
She said the aim of her petition was to ‘put stop to the claim that exiting the EU is the will of the people.’
In an interview with LBC Radio yesterday, she added: ‘The government ignored us, they didn’t have any discussion with Remainers.
‘With a referendum, this is what happens because it’s not very democratic, it’s majoritarian, the majority wins, it’s ruled by the majority for the majority – sod the minority.
‘Whereas true democracy includes everybody’s opinion in society.’
After another tough week dealing with EU politicians, Theresa May wrote to MPs, telling them there are now four ways ahead.
She has persuaded EU leaders to agree an extension to May 22 – if she can finally get MPs to back her deal in a third Commons ‘meaningful vote.’
On Friday night, she said if there was insufficient support for it then she wouldn’t bring it back to the House.
If she fails to pass her deal, the UK has been told by Europe to set out an alternative way forward by April 12.
This opens up the possibility of a much longer delay – with the UK required to hold elections to the European Parliament.
The third option would be to crash out without a deal at all – although that is something that MPs have already voted that they do not want to happen.
The fourth option would be to revoke Article 50, although in her letter, Mrs May said ‘that would be to betray the result of the referendum.’
On Monday, MPs will vote on an amendment put forward by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and Tory Sir Oliver Letwin.
If the amendment is passed, it would pave the way for a series of ‘indicative votes’ in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
This would effectively take control of the Brexit process out of the hands of the minority Tory Government and give it to parliament.
As many as 18 rebel ministers from Mrs May’s side are reported to have threatened to walk unless parliament is allowed to vote on a number of alternative plans for Brexit.
These include the choice of a Norway-style Brexit, a Canada-style deal, Labour’s customs union plan, a second referendum, no deal or revoking Article 50.