Supporters of a ceasefire in Gaza protested outside Selly Oak Labour MP Steve McCabe’s office on the Saturday 18th November calling for his deselection, the BBC reports. 

The SNP’s motion in the House of Commons calling for a ceasefire in the region was voted on by members of parliament on Wednesday 15th November. Like many other Labour MPs, McCabe abstained from the vote. 

McCabe has been a Birmingham MP since 1997, and is Parliamentary Chair of ‘Labour Friends of Israel’ – a group in Parliament that supports a two-state solution, stating that they want to see Israel ‘safe, secure and recognised within its borders; living alongside a viable, democratic and independent Palestinian state.’ This group includes some members who did vote for a ceasefire in Gaza, such as Jess Phillips MP, Barry Gardiner MP, and Liam Byrne MP; however, the majority of the group’s members abstained from the vote. 

Peaceful protestors gathered outside McCabe’s office to protest against his abstention and call for his deselection. A peace march organised by Birmingham Palestine Action followed soon afterwards, when protestors marched from Small Heath to the city centre, entering the Bullring. Protests also took place at Alum Rock junction against Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood, who also abstained from the ceasefire vote.

Speaking to the BBC, protestors explained that they ‘worry so much all the time’ and felt that they had to gather in order to ‘share [their] frustration and [their] anger and [their] grief about what is happening.’ 

‘…share their frustration and anger and grief about what is happening.’ 

Meanwhile, McCabe told the BBC about his concerns for constituents trying to attend his advice centre amidst the protest. McCabe also disclosed his reasons for abstaining from the ceasefire vote. 

‘I don’t honestly believe we are going to get a ceasefire at the moment,’ said McCabe. ‘If the entire House of Commons called for it I don’t think that’ll make Hamas or the Israel Defence Forces stop fighting. I think we have to work towards a permanent end to this and I’d like to see an enduring peace and proper peace talks after it so not only does it stop but it doesn’t start again.’ 

McCabe also stated that he ‘sees himself as a friend of Palestinian people’ and that he has ‘worked non-stop’ since he became the chair of Labour Friends of Israel to ‘advocate for a two-state solution and for an international peace and reconciliation fund to help us get there.’ 

McCabe had previously responded to criticism of his abstention on X, formerly known as Twitter, where he stated: ‘I am totally committed to unified and practical efforts to achieve a cessation of violence & an enduring peace. Last Night’s SNP amendment was about a spat between the SNP and Labour in Scotland. Situation is too serious for futile gestures.’

Fellow Birmingham Labour MP, Shabana Mahmood, is also facing criticism for abstaining from the vote. The Ladywood MP is currently facing a vote of no confidence from protestors. 

The Ladywood MP is currently facing a vote of no confidence from protestors

In a letter to her constituents, quoted in Birmingham Mail, Mahmood stated: ‘I share the upset and concern of you all as we witness the destruction and displacement of human lives on a horrific and unprecedented scale.’

‘As a determined and life-time supporter of the rights of Palestinians, and as a British Muslim, I will never shy away from speaking on behalf of people that have undergone decades of brutality and suffering. In no uncertain terms: all life is sacred. For me, Palestinian lives matter just as much as any other. The killing of innocent civilians in Gaza must stop immediately.’

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