MORE than 80 constituents from across Warwick and Leamington have signed an open letter to MP Matt Western, requesting a public meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza.
Leamington resident, and author of the letter, Angela Walsh, has previously contacted Mr Western several times seeking to arrange such a meeting, but without success.
According to Mrs Walsh there is a real strength of feeling on this matter in the constituency, and across the country and it is vital that elected members of Parliament do not hide away from the scrutiny of those who they work for and represent.
She continued: “I have contacted Mr Western requesting that a public meeting take place, and I have been to several events and protests hoping he might attend and engage with his constituents. I do not feel that my voice is being heard, or that my questions are being answered, and I am certainly not alone in thinking that. It seems to me that there is a concerted effort to ignore people on the issue of Gaza, and to silence them as far as possible.”
Another signatory, Liam Noonan from Warwick, added: “Mr Western has been willing to hold public meetings in the constituency on a variety of issues in the past, but seems reluctant to hold one on the urgent issue of Gaza. With a UN Commission having now declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, it is vital that we hear what our MP has to say on the matter.”
Pressure is building both locally and nationally on this issue. In August the Palestine Youth Movement organised a well-attended ‘pots and pans’ protest outside the Leamington Town Hall in response to Israel having imposed a complete blockade on Gaza. Mrs Walsh’s letter also coincides with the Labour Party conference in Liverpool at which members forced through and backed a motion accepting the UN finding that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and urging the UK government to act.
Email [email protected] to add a signature to Mrs Walsh’s letter.
Mr Western told the Observer he did not intend to hold a public meeting on Gaza as he did not believe this to be an effective way of listening and responding to the wide array of concerns that so many people in the constituency have.
He added he would be more than happy to meet with Mrs Walsh or any of the other signees of the open letter on a one-to-one or small group basis.
