London Labour politician's office vandalized by anti-Israel activist

Labour candidate Stella Creasy's London campaign office was vandalized by an anti-Israel activist, an anonymous source in her party confirmed on Saturday. 

Creasy's Walthamstow office window was smashed by a man with a hammer and spray-painted last Saturday night.

While the Labour candidate alluded to the motivation, she did not explicitly state the motivation for the attack. The Metropolitan Police on Thursday told the Jerusalem Post that it wouldn't speculate regarding the motive but confirmed that the incident was not being treated as a hate crime.

Message to whoever attacked my office last night. You don’t intimidate me and you don’t belong in the political process. Same as those circulating malicious and false leaflets. Police already on this to find you - will press for the strongest penalties for such an anti 1/2 pic.twitter.com/QfLjcohbzA

— stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) June 23, 2024

Waltham Forest Police released CCTV still images of the suspect on Sunday, urging the public to come forward with information if they had any.

"It is entirely unacceptable for the office of one of London's prospective candidate's to be targeted in this way," Waltham Forest Detectives Superintendent Dion Brown said in a statement. 

Creasy said that she had always endeavored to make herself available for discussions with voters on controversial subjects, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but that the attacker has refused to take part in such discussions.

"What I will not do is give an inch to those people who do not care for the democratic process and use violence, intimidation, and harassment to try and express themselves, and make it unsafe for anybody to take part in our politics," the Labour candidate said in a video message on social media. 

Creasy said that those who had been circulating "malicious and false leaflets" about her political position also didn't "belong in the political process."

Walthamstow it’s day 32 of the election and am asking you to not just help find the thug who attacked my office but stand with me rejecting all those who use violence, falsehoods and harassment rather than debate and the ballot box to express themselves for all our sakes. pic.twitter.com/qH33575mHW

— stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) June 23, 2024

The Labour politician said in her video that she had voted for a ceasefire in Gaza "at every opportunity" and had challenged the UK government on arms sales to Israel and upholding international law. She also noted her advocacy both for families of hostages held by Hamas, and Palestinians in Gaza seeking visas to come to Britain.

Creasy touted her record of supporting a two-state solution and that in 2014, she had voted for the recognition of a Palestinian state.

Anti-Israel vandalism

Vandalism of the offices of UK politicians by anti-Israel activists has occurred repeatedly since the October 7 massacre.

The Jewish Chronicle reported that on June 1 the Labour Party Office in Chingford and Woodford Green was defaced with anti-Israel graffiti. 

Golders Green and Finchley Conservative MP Mike Freer's office was torched in an arson attack in December after he had received threats over his support for Israel.