Tory MP Zac Goldsmith links Barcelona terror attack to Labour's Momentum group
Momentum tells The Independent: 'It is outrageous and deeply shameful that a sitting member of Parliament would use this tragic attack to spread lies and score political points'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith has been accused of using terrorism for scoring “political points” by sharing a post attempting to link a Barcelona attacker with the left-wing campaign group Momentum.
Less than 24 hours after 14 people were killed in the popular Spanish city by terrorists, Mr Goldsmith’s brother, Ben, commented on a post which suggested one of the men involved in the attack had shared an anti-Semitic video, alleging “a global Jewish conspiracy to take over the world”.
Responding to the post on Twitter, Ben Goldsmith asked: “Maybe he got it from Labour’s Momentum movement? They make for weird bedfellows, Islamism and hard-leftism, but they’re joined at the hip.”
The Richmond MP, Mr Goldsmith, then shared his brother’s provocative remarks.
A spokesperson for Momentum – the group set up to support Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership – told The Independent: “It is outrageous and deeply shameful that a sitting member of Parliament would use this tragic attack to spread lies and score political points.
“On behalf of Momentum, I offer our solidarity and condolences to all of those affected, and urge Zac Goldsmith to retract his comments, apologise and show some respect for those who have died in this tragic attack,” added Emma Rees, the group’s national coordinator.
Responding to the post, Guardian journalist Owen Jones added: “It’s not just sick to use terrorism for political gain, it’s defamatory.”
“Zac Goldsmith using the Barcelona terrorist atrocity which killed at least 13 people to attack Momentum. The absolute state of that man,” he added.
It comes after Theresa May said she was “sickened by the senseless loss of life” on Las Ramblas – the popular tourist strip – after terrorists mounted the pavement in a van.
The Prime Minister added: “The Foreign Office is working to establish if any British nationals were involved in the appalling incident and we are in close contact with the authorities in Spain, who have our full support.
“Following the attacks in Manchester and London, Spain stood alongside the British people. Tonight, Britain stands with Spain against the evil of terrorism.”
The Foreign Office has since said it was helping a “small number” of British nationals caught up in the attack.
A spokeswoman added: “Our thoughts are with the victims of these terrible attacks and the people of Spain. We are currently assisting a small number of British people affected and are working to find out if any more need our help. We have deployed additional staff to Barcelona and have offered support to the Spanish authorities.”
Mr Goldsmith’s office did not respond to a request for comment when asked by The Independent.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments