Andy McDonald has hit back at the decision to suspend him from the Labour Party, saying his words have been “misrepresented” by the media.
Mr McDonald, who will sit as an independent MP while an investigation takes place, used the phrase “between the river and the sea” in a speech during a demonstration at the weekend.
A Labour spokesperson said: “The comments made by Andy McDonald at the weekend were deeply offensive, particularly at a time of rising antisemitism which has left Jewish people fearful for their safety.
“The chief whip has suspended the Labour whip from Andy McDonald, pending an investigation.”
Some pro-Palestinian protesters have chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” during recent demonstrations in London.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously branded the slogan antisemitic and claimed that it is “widely understood” to call for the destruction of Israel, but pro-Palestinian protesters have contested this definition.
McDonald says his words should not be construed “in any other way than they were intended, namely as a heartfelt plea for an end to the killings in Israel, Gaza, and the occupied West Bank, and for all peoples in the region to live in freedom without the threat of violence.”
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