Shadow minister defends Labour refusal to back Iranian protesters, saying conflict is ‘not black and white’
2 min read
A Labour frontbencher has defended his party's stance over the Iranian protests - insisting the situation in the country is not "black and white".
Shadow Communities Secretary Andrew Gwynne said those opposed to the Iranian regime may not be "as liberal and as moderate as perhaps some in the West may make out".
His comments came amid criticism of Jeremy Corbyn for failing to speak out about the situation in the country.
And they follow Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry’s claim that it was “very difficult” to work out what the "political forces are behind the current disputes on the streets of Iran".
When pressed on whether Labour should support those opposing the theocratic regime, Mr Gwynne said it would be wrong to do so when neither side is "100% good".
“The point is, what we are not clear about is all the forces around the protest, whether they are as liberal and as moderate as perhaps some in the west may make out,” he told BBC 5Live’s Pienaar’s Politics.
“If you then come out as one side against the other and say one side is bad, the other side is 100% good, it’s never as black and white as that, as we found in other Middle Eastern crises.”
The shadow minister also dodged the question of whether the Labour leader should end his silence and condemn the regime, amid protests in the country which have seen at least 21 people killed and around 450 arrested.
“It’s above my pay grade to step into Middle Eastern politics, which as you know is fiery at the best of times, “ he added.
“The Iranian regime, much of what it stands for, I find completely abhorrent. The hanging of gay men for example and I think that they should be called out and condemned, rightly…
“I would be surprised if Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t condemn the fact that gay men are hanged by the Iranian regime. That is abhorrent, it run against everything the Labour party stands for.”
Earlier in the same programme, comedian Eddie Izzard, who is campaigning to win a seat on Labour's National Executive Committee, said the party leadership should be "more forthright" in condemning the regime.
He said: “I would like them to be more forthright. Absolutely, yes. You want me to say it straight and I have said it. I don’t understand why they’re being so hesitant about it…"
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