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Liam O'Dell
Dec 19, 2021
Infamous anti-vaxxer Piers Corbyn has been arrested on suspicion of encouragement to commit arson, after a video surfaced online of him recommending people ‘burn down’ the offices of MPs who backed new coronavirus regulations.
Speaking to a London crowd during a protest against vaccine passports on Saturday, Corbyn said “we’ve got to get a bit more physical” when it comes to airing political views.
“We’ve got to hammer to death those scum… those scum who have decided to go ahead with introducing new fascism.
“We’ve got a list of them … and if your MP is one of them, go to their offices and, well, I would recommend burning them down, okay,” he added.
The comments come just months after Tory MP Sir David Amess was stabbed and killed during a surgery in his Southend West constituency, and five years after Labour’s Jo Cox was murdered during the EU referendum campaign.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, took to Twitter to describe Corbyn’s remarks as “sickening”.
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“I back the police to take the strongest possible action against him,” she added.
The Piers Corbyn video is sickening. I back the police to take the strongest possible action against him.— Priti Patel (@Priti Patel) 1639862053
Her Labour counterpart, Yvette Cooper, also condemned the “appalling” clip.
She wrote: “We have lost two MPs to terrible violence in recent years – we know how incredibly serious this is.
“Police will have all our support in pursuing this.”
Appalling Piers Corbyn video. We have lost 2 MPs to terrible violence in recent years - we know how incredibly ser… https://t.co/gQItYdDAm2— Yvette Cooper (@Yvette Cooper) 1639865525
Politicians and commentators across the political spectrum also condemned the footage:
This is appalling. Piers Corbyn is inciting the murder of MPs. He should be arrested & jailed for this. cc… https://t.co/eWWjGwgBGG— Piers Morgan (@Piers Morgan) 1639855964
Piers Corbyn, you were comprehensively beaten in the London mayor election by me, an alien with a bin for a head. S… https://t.co/2dXED3ydJA— Count Binface (@Count Binface) 1639859787
What Piers Corbyn has said about MPs is beyond appalling, it is dangerous incitement. Especially so in the wake of… https://t.co/SoUVHCX3Ah— Stephen Farry MP (@Stephen Farry MP) 1639863684
Just two months since the murder of David Amess. This is incitement to violence against MPs. And an attack on our… https://t.co/ezBQ1tIsvn— Mike Gapes (@Mike Gapes) 1639856722
Piers Corbyn arrested. Good to get this menace off the streets and able now to access the care he so obviously needs https://t.co/izxyCNr4dz— Simon Hoare MP (@Simon Hoare MP) 1639907383
Piers Corbyn should be condemned for his calls to insight violence against MPs and our offices (which must include… https://t.co/C73PfAqyvZ— Chris Elmore MP (@Chris Elmore MP) 1639858873
Piers Corbyn is a danger to our families, teams + to the people who believe the garbage he bangs on about. People… https://t.co/PKZ3vShFTm— Sarah Owen MP (@Sarah Owen MP) 1639870535
Piers Corbyn is not a funny old man fighting for freedom, he's dangerous and mercenary. Notice how many of these "p… https://t.co/e8oHw08rCf— Jess Phillips MP (@Jess Phillips MP) 1639904047
In a statement issued on their website, the Metropolitan Police confirmed a man in his 70s was arrested in Southwark in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“The arrest relates to a video posted online in which people were encouraged to burn down MPs’ offices.
“The man remains in custody at a central London police station,” it concluded.
On the same day Corbyn made the comments, a rap video was released by the anti-vaxxer, reportedly titled, “I’m Not A Loser, I Don’t Want The Booster”.