Normally speaking a man who is arrested by police on suspicion of murder would enjoy both fair treatment from the press and a guarding of his rights by the BBC.
Not so the mentally ill killer of heroic Jo Cox MP.
Disgracefully, David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn both imputed political motives to Thomas Mair, which could prejudice his trial.
They spoke of “hate”. Leading EU figures disgustingly appeared to connect mentally ill Thomas with the Brexit campaign.
And the BBC did the same, on Twitter, Newsnight and across it broadcasts.
West Yorkshire Police leaked highly prejudicial crap to the Guardian about far-right memorabilia
Finally the Speaker allowed Parliament to be recalled despite the fact a man is to be tried. When I was on the Select Committee we received stern advice from Speaker’s Counsel that we could do NOTHING and say NOTHING in our hacking enquiry that would prejudice the trial of Andy Coulson.
How then is this being allowed?
Let us get this absolutely straight. Thomas Mair was severely mentally ill – and he may well, therefore, have had racist tendencies, which could be delusional.
But NOTHING thus far reported suggests that these are the “reasons” he killed poor Jo Cox, still less that the matter has ANYTHING WHATEVER to do with Brexit.
The speculation everywhere, fuelled by prejudicial police leaks to the Guardian, is that, as the BBC reported, Mair shouted “Britain First!” and then attacked the MP.
Couple that with the police’s neo-Nazi finds at his house and there is the hate crime motivation, done and dusted.
But this theory is already falling apart under scrutiny. One of the three original “witnesses” , Mr. Hitcham Ben Abdallah, cited, flatly denied he ever heard Mair shout “Britain First!”
Here he is:
Eyewitness tells reporters he didn't hear anyone shout "Britain first", saying: "Never heard that". pic.twitter.com/DWhzqe7ayi
— Ben (@Jamin2g) June 16, 2016
Next, the BBC originally stated that Mair screamed “Britain First” three times. But “eyewitness” Clarke Rothwell did not go so far on camera
1of2 witnesses is now casting doubt on "screaming Britain First repeatedly" claim. Could've been "put Britain first" pic.twitter.com/svlkD6TcPe
— Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) June 16, 2016
And there was worse to come. The Muslim eyewitness contradicted Clarke Rothwell saying not only did he not say “Britain First” but NOBODY heard “Britain First” shouted:
Well, the BBC, the Guardian and the Independent, and West Yorkshire Police, now have MASSIVE explaining to do. Because “witness” Clark Rothwell is allegedly on the BNP’s membership list as leaked by WikiLeaks:
RT @wikileaks: UK: "witness" who claimed MP slayers "Britain First!" Is BNP <~ I am redacting pic. Witness who DENIES BF is a Muslim
— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) June 17, 2016
The BNP and Britain First have a rivalry between them as racist groups. Clearly, this means that any allegation by Rothwell is suspect. I satisfied myself on Facebook that “Clarke Rothwell” of Batley, Yorkshire, “likes” a Facebook group called “Islam NOT 4 UK”
Will the BBC, Independent and Guardian report the “Britain First” claimed shout falling apart?
Meanwhile, a poster on Reddit, claiming to be from Thomas Mair’s estate, suggested that it was well known locally that, rather than politics on his mind, Mair resented that a mental health programme he attended was closed. This poster claimed to be a Muslim and a supporter of Jo Cox’s. He decried the attitude of the media to both Mair and the local area. Even if, he said, Mair had supported the far right he was a mentally ill loner who never spoke of racist issues or politics and who was confused, the poster claimed, when running away, and waited at a bus stop.
Hope not Hate confirmed meanwhile that they were both taking money and campaigning for Remain today.
As the “Britain First” claim falls apart under the weight of the BNP, perhaps Hope Not Hate, David Cameron, and the Speaker of the House of Commons might consider the witness claim that Thomas Mair’s mentally ill grudge was over a mental health closure whether or not there was old Nazi memorabilia at his house.
These racist delusions, even on the reporting, go back to as early as 1999. They have, therefore, nothing to do with Brexit. Nothing to do with Vote Leave. Nothing to do with “rhetoric”.
We are seeing the full might of the EU bosses, of the Prime Minister, of the House of Commons, of the BNP, of the police – not as investigators but as leakers to the Guardian – deployed against a severely mentally ill man whom local people say was NOT motivated by politics at all.
This is not progressive. It is not OK. It is not justice. It is the base, the vile use of the death of a young mother in the service of throwing a vital referendum on the future of Britain.
Because in order to pay tribute to Jo Cox you do not need to suggest what the motivations of her mentally ill killer were.
You should not say those motivations were anything to do with hatred, with the EU, with Brexit. Because you have no idea. And to suggest these things on the basis of utterly spurious, contested, unreliable witness reports where conflicts of interest exist – BNP vs Britain First – is a disgusting misuse of Parliament. If it is to be recalled, John Bercow will be failing in his duty if he allows any speculation on the floor of the house about why Jo Cox was killed. He is, in my view, clearly prejudicing Thomas Mair’s trial by even allowing the session. And for the same reason, I believe Cameron and Corbyn should both resign. I hope that not a single voter changes their mind in this EU Referendum over the base politicisation of a young mother’s tragic death. Our democracy, and basic justice, deserves more than this.
