Yaz Ashmawi, the protester who threw glitter over Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during the party conference, has apologised for touching him. However, he has said he does not regret his actions or his use of glitter. Merseyside Police arrested and bailed a 28-year-old man on suspicion of breaching the peace over the incident, with Mr Ashmawi spending 22 hours in police custody.
Mr Ashmawi described his arrest as traumatic but said police officers were “very respectful to me”. In an interview with BBC Radio, he stated that it was “horrible” to think that Sir Keir might have believed he was in danger during the protest. He went on to say that politicians receive a lot of death threats and need to feel safe, and that he had compromised Sir Keir’s safety by touching him. Mr Ashmawi assured listeners that he was “sorry” for making physical contact with the leader of the opposition.
During Sir Keir’s speech on Tuesday, a protester wearing a T-shirt linking him to a group called People Demand Democracy interrupted the event. Sir Keir held the activist away from the microphone with his right arm before security arrived, with Mr Ashmawi continuing to shout demands for changes to the UK’s parliamentary democracy. Following the incident, Sir Keir called the protester an “idiot” for trying to interrupt his speech but added he feared “it could have been a lot worse”.
Labour shadow justice minister Shabana Mahmood has said she expects that “questions are being asked” surrounding how security allowed the protester to get on stage. She went on to say that the party would ensure that such incidents do not occur again.
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