Mike Gapes (Labour)
Summary
Mike Gapes
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LABOUR
Ilford South |
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Voting History
War
Voted for Invasion of Iraq ( Iraq - Declaration of War, 18 Mar 2003)
Voted for Air strikes on Afghanistan (Coalition Against International Terrorism, 1 Nov 2001)
Anti-Terror Laws
Voted for Indefinite detention without charge, without trial (Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill - Clauses 22 to 24 - Indefinite Detention - 21 Nov 2001)
Voted for Renewal of above law (Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 - Renewal of Part 4 sections 21-23 - 3 Mar 2004)
Voted for Control orders – house arrests (Prevention of Terrorism Bill - Third Reading - 28 Feb 2005)
Muslim Schools
Absent from vote on Proposed amendment to Education Bill forcing all new state funded religious schools to reserve at least a quarter of places to children from other faiths thereby effectively destroying the religious ethos of the school. This disproportionately targeted the Muslim community as out of around 7000 existing state funded religious schools that would escape this law only 4 were Muslim - all new Muslim schools would be effected.(Education Bill - New Clause 1 6 Feb 2002)
Early Day Motions
Islamophobia
Did not sign EDM on Call for BBC to sack Kilroy-Silk for his racist comments. (EDM 383, 08.01.04)
Halal Meat
Did not sign EDM on Call for the government to work actively to end religious slaughter in the UK (EDM 104, 26.11.03)
Hijab
Supports Call for UK & EU partners to protest France's ban on religious symbols in schools. (EDM 461, 21.01.04)
Israel
Did not sign EDM on Call for suspension of EU-Israel Association Agreement which gives Israel preferential trade terms with the EU. (EDM 1288, 26.05.04)
Did not sign EDM on Call for sanctions against Israel for not complying with the International Court of Justice decision on the illegality of the separation wall.(EDM 162, 24.11.04)
US
Did not sign EDM exposing double standards in US foreign policy regarding terrorism and democracy. (EDM 664, 04.02.05)
Election Survey:
Questionnaire not returned.
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Other Information
Mike Gapes proudly proclaims as the first statement on his website page on the Middle East that he is the senior Vice Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.[1](In fact previously he was the Chair of LFI).
As such he has been the voice of Israel in the British parliament for many years. In 1993 he urged the government to pressure the Arab countries to end the boycott of Israel: "It is important that our Government should..
clearly state
that we do not tolerate that economic boycott
[of Israel]".[2] He has also urged the government to pressure the Arab states in to recognising Israel (i.e. betraying the Palestinians).[5]
He has also used the full force of the zionist lobby to silence his critics. During the last election (2001) the BBC commissioned free-lace journalist Faisal Bodi to produce a report for BBC Radio 4 on the Muslim vote and how Muslims had organised to target four seats which were occupied by pro-Israel MPs, including Mike Gapes seat. The BBC said they were please with the programme and satisfied it was fair and balanced and went ahead and broadcast it. Immediately Mike Gapes mustered the zionist lobby in to action, targeting the Director General of the BBC Greg Dyke. Within three days the BBC had
banned the journalist Faisal Bodi from reporting on Middle Eastern issues and issued a regret of not having introduced him as a someone who is an
"avowed supporter of Islamic causes" and holds "extreme views on Israel".[6][7]
During the Bosnian conflict he pressured the government to ensure an arms embargo against Bosnia prevaled - i.e. that Muslims remained defensless whilst the Serbs massacred them.[3]
He is a war monger who voted for and welcomed the invasion of Iraq as a "liberation war".[1]
He is also a member of Labour Friends of India.
[1] http://www.mikegapes.org.uk/resources/middle_east.html
[2]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1993-11-19/Debate-4.html
[3]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1994-07-13/Orals-2.html
Mr. Gapes :"Will the Government be trying to work with the Chinese to veto any move by the United States to lift the arms embargo ?... may we have a categorical assurance that our Government will not give way to misguided pressure from the American Congress and President Clinton but will work with others to stop the lifting of the arms embargo ?"
It was a well known fact that the arms embargo was unbalanced - it only effected the Muslims. The Bosnian Serbs were armed to the teeth and continued to receive plentiful arms from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and similarly the Bosnian Croats continued to receive arms from from Croatia. So while the UN imposed an air embargo on all sides (Bosnian Muslim, Croat and Serbian) it was only the Bosnian Muslims who suffered and were left defenseless.
A year later the embargo was still in place resulting in genocide, with up to 400,000 people killed and the systematic rape of 50,000 Muslim women. Even then when on 31st May 1995[4] Mr. Iain Duncan Smith (Chingford) asked the Prime Minister Tony Blair:
"Does he agree that we should now lift that arms embargo to give the Bosnian Muslims the opportunity to defend themselves?" Tony Blair replied:
"No, I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman's suggestion.. lifting the arms embargo would increase the conflagration rather than limit it."
[4]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199495/cmhansrd/1995-05-31/Debate-1.html
[5]
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/
vo980310/debtext/80310-01.htm (10 March 1998 )
Mr. Gapes : When my right hon. Friend goes to Syria , will he emphasise to the Syrian Government the importance of Syria's being engaged in the process? .. All the states neighbouring Israel must also recognise Israel and come to a peace settlement with Israel if there is to be lasting peace in the region.
[6] Succumbing to Pro-Israel Pressure,
BBC Labels Reporter
'Avowed Supporter of Islamic Causes', Aug/Sep2001, Vol. 20 Issue 6, p21,
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs,
by McArdle, Farah
http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-news-0137.html
[7] BBC Radio 4 ‘World Tonight' caves in to pro- Israel MP's pressure against journalist,
http://www.ihrc.org.uk/show.php?id=121
