MP ‘did not visit Hamza’
South Ribble MP Lorraine Fullbrook refused to visit jailed cleric Abu Hamza in prison as part of a report on radicalisation.
The Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, of which Ms Fullbrook is a member, has been criticised for visiting Belmarsh Prison and asking the views of Hamza, referred to throughout the report ‘Roots to Radicalisation’, as ‘Mr Abu Hamza’.
Hamza was jailed for 11 years in 2006 for inciting murder and racial hatred. A judge said he had commended and suicide bombers.
But Ms Fullbrook said she did not attend the visit as she felt her time would be better spent in her constituency.
She said only “two or three” members of the select committee visited the prison and they were not told in advance they would be speaking to Hamza.
She said: “Had I known they would be speaking to Abu Hamza, I would have made the conscious decision not to go anyway.
“The report goes through how people become radicalised by Islamist extremists and far right extremists and part of that was a visit to Belmarsh Prison.
“It was on a Thursday on a one line whip and it was go to my constituency or go to Belmarsh Prison. I felt my time would be better served in my constituency.
“When I was told about the Belmarsh visit I didn’t know about Abu Hamza. There was about two or three members of the committee who went.”
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Comments
There are 24 comments to this article
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sydney olympic
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 09:05 AMThe point is that you politicise nearly every argument or debate,wether its politcal or not.The real thread gets lost in KLO and BROOKS political idealism.Its getting boing very boring you dont like KLO and he dosent like BROOKS,you regurgitate the old worn out arguments day after day.......Labour are at fault for the financial crisis.....Tories are the party of the rich.......We get it we dont need the same day after day after day......You both say you have good jobs they must be very good because you both are never off here.
brookss4
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 06:35 PM#21 and #22 not stopping anyone else posting comments whats your point.
Brendaleyland
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 12:03 PMPeople please. Say wha you need to say on the subject, but dont allow others to draw you into a spatt online. You cannot argue sensably with someone who simply will not concede an inch on views held. You just get abused for trying and as already stated you spoil the debate for others.
sydney olympic
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 09:34 AMKLO-BROOKS......You are both as bad as each other,you have both flirted with other parties,and you are both ruining debate by hijacking every thread with your tribal arguments.........We live in the 21st century the political system you both look up to has for the last 40 odd years let the world,the country,the county and the city down wery badly.
brookss4
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 01:35 AMWhat hypocracy, anyhow by calling to kick Hamza et al out of the country you are doing the very thing I said in my last post, i.e. dont call for peace, just attempt to get rid of the problem so I aint twisting you words. Until we act like adults and accept he has different views to our own and accept he has the right to say them, we cannot enter into a debate with them to attempt to change their views. If you kick him out his hatred will simply grow unchecked and come back 10 fold. That is what happened in NI and until Paisley and Adams sat down and talked they realised they had common ground they could advance on.
Keep Labour Out
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 01:22 AMNO, I have not said that at all. I despise people like Hamza and if I had my way, he wouldn't be costing me money to keep him here, he would have kicked out of the country. You are just twisting my words now to try and escape your hypocrisy.
brookss4
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 01:12 AMKLO so you are saying we shouldnt seek peace and work with those that seek to do us harm to include them as part of normal society. Mmmm you are as intelligent as i thought.
Keep Labour Out
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 01:03 AMI have made my mind up, I am a Conservative simple. I just had a brief flirtation with UKIP. But the fact of the matter regardless of whether or not people agree with it or not is that you are a turncoat. You are in no position to call other people "sell out" and all this "shame on you for turning blue" is completely hypocritical. It is a case of you saying one thing and doing another.
brookss4
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 12:51 AMKLO lmao, waste money on a bi-election. As I said if one person in the ward said I should have done that then I would, but every person agreed with the decision. The Labour party led the ward down and they didnt want another war monger in representing the ward. COnservative UKIP you clearly cant make your mind up yourself.
Keep Labour Out
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 11:13 PMIf you had any decency you would have resigned and stood for a by-election as a Respect candidate defection is wrong and should not be tolerated. I don't give a toss what your constituents said, it is wrong end of story turncoat brooksy.
Keep Labour Out
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 11:04 PMMore far-left nonsense from brookss4, shame on you turncoat for defecting, you are a hypocrite. No the Tories are not just for millionaires, that is just the sort of bigotted ill-educated nonsense I would expect from someone like you, can't even serve a term without crossing the floor then criticises others for doing the same, hypocrite. I vote Conservative because I believe in true social justice, which means not rewarding shirkers. I believe in hard work and aspiration. You are a hypocrite, shame on you for turning turncoat.
Vagabondgull
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 09:35 PMNo doubt they would of fallen for the pathetic waste of space excuses of this coward HOOK line & sinker! ;-)
Freaky Florrie
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 08:38 PMWhat "real threat" White Van Man? He is in prison! When people rant they sometimes get facts mixed up. I suspect you are alluding to the European Court decision to place Abu Qatada under 22-hour house arrest instead of keeping him locked in prison. This story isn't about Abu Qatada, but Abu Hamza. The clue is in the name!
retired white van man
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 08:20 PMi think a few of the posts on here are missing the point this man has been identified as a serious danger to this country he should have been sent back to jordan a long time ago to serve his sentence not have a friendley chat with he is a fanatic.the idiots at the court of human rights and some judges here are leaving this country and its men women and chidren very exposed to real threat
brookss4
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 06:44 PMGiven #8 and #9 comments shame on South Ribble for turning blue. Thats what you get for a blue tick, no representation unless you are a multimillionaire.
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