Conservatives launch online petition after 'intimidation' of Jacob Rees-Mogg
2 min read
The Conservatives have launched an online petition and vowed to "step up" their speaker programme at British universities after Friday's fracas at an event featuring Jacob Rees-Mogg.
A message from party chairman Brandon Lewis to party members blames "Momentum-supporting thugs" for disrupting a debate at the University of the West of England.
The North East Somerset MP himself played down the incident, saying he felt "quite safe" intervening to stop masked protesters intruding on the event.
Mr Lewis' email to supporters said the Conservatives would respond to the incident by getting more MPs to speak on campuses.
"Last night, Momentum-supporting thugs broke into a university event and tried to silence Conservatives," he wrote.
"Wearing balaclavas, they tried through violence and intimidation to stop the ideas that they disagreed with from being heard. Help us back free speech by signing our petition today.
"Momentum, the left-wing campaign group, was set up after Mr Corbyn's initial victory as Labour leader to keep the spirit and politics of his campaign alive.
"Young people have a right to hear all sides of the political debate. So we’ll protect free speech by stepping up our speaker programme – making sure Conservative voices are heard in universities across the country."
MPs from across the Commons offered Mr Rees-Mogg their backing following the incident.
Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner tweeted: "My politics are not those of @Jacob_Rees_Mogg however l utterly condemn the behaviour of those tonight who tried to attack him whilst he was due to speak at an event he was invited to. It's extremely intimidating for any MP who travels alone to an event to be treated like this."
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