Opinion Piece

A FEW weeks ago, Harlow MP Robert Halfon was on the Broad Walk in Harlow Town Centre, meeting and discussing constituency issues with residents.

Since being made a candidate in 1999, he is regularly seen there.

Whilst he was there, a small group of marchers campaigning against the proposed Stort Crossing passed by. When they saw him, they were courteous and civil as they discussed his position on the crossing.

However, we later heard, that one person was less than civil, shouting and swearing at the Harlow MP. They were basically a breach of the peace.

This was not the first time.

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In 2016, a man admitted sending a tweet in which he said he would “love to shoot” an MP in the head.

Kier Ashby tagged Harlow MP Robert Halfon in the tweet on 23 June – the night of the EU Referendum reports the BBC.

The 21-year-old from Harlow was given a four week prison sentence suspended for one year.

Harlow man sentenced after “Shoot in the head” tweet sent to MP Robert Halfon

There have clearly been many other times in which they have or have been close to contacting the police.

You get the feeling that we have no idea what abuse an MP like Robert Halfon receives and we should maybe rephrase that and say, what abuse his office receives.

Some offices, like Yvette Cooper MP in Pontefract, recieve over 100 a year.

And we haven’t even started on the volume of antisemitic attacks made on our Jewish MP.

We also know that there are people, whether in written correspondence or on social media, go way way over the score in expressing their hated for the MP or their disappointment regarding the way a piece of caseworker was handled.

There are reports of people screaming in Robert Halfon’s face due to a planning application to going their way.

MPs know how to quote the Protection of Harassment Act, the Malicious Communications Act etc but they hate having to do that. They didn’t get into the job for that. They want an open and free relationship in the way they interact with their constituents.

But they are aware there are some deeply unpleasant people out there who are looking for someone to blame their shortcomings on.. An MP is a perfect target.

Over the past five years, life in this country seems to have come nastier, more vindictive and spiteful. Lockdown has made nasty people even more unpleasant.

We even have reports of Year 7 students losing sports matches in Harlow and sending menacing messages to the winners on social media.

Every week, there are parents being warned about their behaviour at the side of football matches.

Here at YourHarlow, we have had one court case and called the police on another two occasions. We have blocked and banned more people than at any other time since starting digital publications in 2008.

We are also sure that GP receptionists, nurses at A and E and many other people working on the front line, will say “welcome to my world”.

You may say “twas ever thus” and perhaps you are right but at the moment, it just feels different.

In conclusion, it would be a damning indictment on society if the MP needed police protection as he undertakes his constituency duties whether at surgeries or on walkabouts in town.

But there are a lot of people who need a long long hard look at themselves as to the way they conduct themselves.