Mothin Ali, co-deputy leader of the Green Party, has revealed he fears for his safety after receiving approximately twenty death threats. This alarming development follows controversial remarks made in Parliament by Conservative MP Alec Shelbrooke, which were subsequently endorsed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
During Monday’s parliamentary session, Shelbrooke falsely alleged that Ali had been ‘protesting in support of the ayatollah’ at a recent anti-war demonstration. The event, organized by Stop the War Coalition, was primarily focused on protesting US-Israeli military actions against Iran. Shelbrooke further claimed that Ali had whipped up ‘hatred and fear’ throughout Leeds, describing the councillor’s alleged actions as ‘a disgrace.’
Prime Minister Starmer responded by expressing shock at the Green Party official’s behavior, adding that he was ‘perhaps not surprised, given that party’s recent turn of direction.’
Ali, who enjoys no parliamentary protection against defamation, told Middle East Eye that the MP’s privileged position enabled him to make damaging claims without legal consequence. ‘They will get me killed,’ Ali stated, emphasizing the real-world impact of political rhetoric. He challenged Shelbrooke to repeat the allegations outside Parliament, where standard defamation laws would apply.
The Green Party councillor clarified that his attendance at the demonstration was motivated by humanitarian concerns following a strike on a school in Iran that reportedly killed more than 153 people, including numerous children. ‘A whole load of little girls had just been blown to bits,’ Ali explained. ‘I’m not supposed to feel anything about that?’
Green Party leader Zack Polanski condemned the Prime Minister’s response as ‘blatant Islamophobia’ and characterized the incident as an establishment attack on ‘a calm, kind, thoughtful gardener who happens to be a Muslim man in politics.’
Neither Downing Street nor Shelbrooke’s office responded to requests for comment or clarification regarding the allegations.