Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, PLO Executive Committee Member, said on Saturday that the people of Palestine mourn the loss of ‘Palestine’s dear friend and peace and justice activist,’ British Labor MP Jo Cox. She was murdered by a white British man named Thomas Mair outside a West Yorkshire library on Thursday.
“MP Cox, a devoted humanitarian and member of the Labor Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, was a passionate, courageous leader and human rights defender who tirelessly advocated for various causes, including the plight of Syrian refugees, Palestinian child prisoners and an end to the illegal blockade on Gaza,” Ashrawi said.
“We are deeply saddened by such a tragic and senseless loss, and our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, loved ones and the people of Britain,” she added.
The British Labor party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has repeatedly voiced support for the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination. This support came at a cost, with the anti-Semitism charges some of the party’s members were accused of.
Cox was killed on Thursday in broad daylight, on the streets of Birstall, a West Yorkshire village in her constituency.
Thomas Mair, the man who stabbed and shot Cox, gave his name as “Death to traitors, freedom for Britain”, when he appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Hanan Ashrawi: Palestine mourns the loss of British Labour MP Jo Cox https://t.co/JcEhsXhWgV
— Labour 2 Palestine (@Lab2Palestine) June 19, 2016
The murder of Cox triggered a wave of solidarity by marginalized groups she has always fought for, including Palestinian and Syrian refugees who organized sit-ins to commemorate her memory.
(PNN, PC)
