James Goddard: ‘Yellow vest’ protester arrested after incident involving Jeremy Corbyn’s car in Salford
Video shows protester shouting ‘traitor’ into megaphone at Labour leader as he leaves rally
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Self-styled “yellow vest” protester James Goddard has been arrested after hurling abuse at a car that he believed was carrying Jeremy Corbyn.
A video posted on YouTube showed the 30-year-old block the path of a vehicle after his supporters shouted that the Labour leader was inside.
Mr Goddard circled the vehicle near the Lowry Theatre in Salford, calling Mr Corbyn and the shadow chancellor John McDonnell “traitors” through a megaphone.
“Corbyn come and face me, you coward,” he shouted through the window as the car was forced to reverse.
The pro-Brexit campaigner and about a dozen fellow protesters chanted “we love you Boris, we do” as Labour supporters leaving the event gathered and shouted: “Fascist scum off our streets.”
Mr Goddard continued attempting to block the car’s path as it moved off with a police escort, and he was arrested minutes later.
Onlookers were heard applauding as he was handcuffed and taken away in a police van.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “Shortly before 8pm on Monday, police arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of breach of the peace.
“The arrest was made following the conclusion of an event being held at the Lowry Theatre, Salford.”
Mr Goddard was taken into custody for questioning but was later released with no further action.
The Labour Party has not confirmed whether Mr Corbyn was in the vehicle at the time.
Mr Goddard is currently subject to a suspended prison sentence for harassing the former Conservative MP Anna Soubry outside parliament.
He filmed himself calling the politician a “Nazi” and a “traitor” over her views on Brexit.
After admitting public order offences, Mr Goddard told his supporters: “I feel like a coward, but it was the only way to avoid prison, I promise you all that I’m not going to let them win. Business as usual and no more restrictions.”
In June, he was fined for assaulting a news photographer at a demonstration in Manchester, after telling him: “I swear to god when there’s no police around here, I’m going to take your head off your shoulders.”
Mr Goddard had appeared at rallies in support of Tommy Robinson before becoming a leading figure in the pro-Brexit “yellow vests”, who adopted the tactics used by fuel tax protesters in France.
The group has attempted to continue weekly protests in London and other UK cities, with demands including a no-deal Brexit and opposition to “fake news” and the “corrupt government”.
Mr Goddard was removed from Facebook, Paypal and Twitter for violating their hate speech policies, but remains on YouTube and asks for donations on his website.
Addressing the rally in Salford on Monday, Mr Corbyn said Labour would “take the fight to the Tories” in a general election and insisted his party was ready for a snap poll.
His comments came after a senior government source said Boris Johnson would request a general election for 14 October if MPs vote to block a no-deal Brexit on Tuesday.
Mr Corbyn added: “What Boris Johnson was doing was essentially threatening people, threatening people with a no-deal Brexit if he doesn’t get his way in parliament.
“I know people voted both ways in the referendum, obviously, I know people have different views about these things, obviously, but I simply say this: people didn’t vote to lose their jobs, didn’t vote to see our environmental standards, workers’ rights, consumer protections ripped up.”