Michael Weston King, grandfather of Bebe, condemned what he called the “despicable” actions of the far right in exploiting his family’s tragedy for political gain and urged the government to abandon plans—backed by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK—to disclose the race and immigration status of high-profile suspects. He said such information is irrelevant to criminal behaviour, which occurs across all backgrounds, and warned that the policy represents “kowtowing” to those who seek to inflame division. Weston King argued that the boy who killed Bebe had been failed by multiple agencies aware of his behaviour, and by the previous government’s failure to properly fund the Prevent strategy—failures that also harmed his own family. He described how misinformation about the suspect’s identity fuelled riots, in which mosques were attacked and people of colour targeted, and said that while his family does not seek revenge, they were relieved to see rioters and those spreading hatred online jailed. A lifelong Labour supporter, he expressed disappointment in Sir Keir Starmer’s recent decisions, including over Palestine, and said it was “with a heavy heart” that he opposed this policy, hoping the government will not proceed.
Read the full article here.
Anyone who falls for anything Reform UK says is being gaslighted:
Do not succumb to the dregs. We have to do better than that.
