Heralded by Houthis and Comparing Israel War to Holocaust, ‘Gaza George’ Sworn into UK Parliament

London, UK. Saturday 9th August 2014. British politician George Galloway, Respect Party MP
Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images
Kurt Zindulka

Leftist firebrand George Galloway was feted by the Iran-backed Islamist Houthi terrorists as he became the United Kingdom’s newest member of parliament on Monday, being officially sworn in after his shock victory in the Rochdale by-election last month.

Amid turmoil within the Labour and Conservative parties and, as has been widely claimed, by courting the support of the local Muslim population over his support for the Palestinians, ‘Gaza George’ Galloway was officially sworn in as a member of the House of Commons representing the leftist-populist Worker’s Party of Britain.

In a remarkable turn of events, prior to his swearing-in on Monday, Galloway was put up by a leader of the Yemeni Houthi Shiite terrorist group as a potential intermediary for the crisis in the Red Sea. The Iranian-backed Islamists have attacked numerous global trade shipping vessels in the Red Sea in response, they say, to Western support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza following the October 7th terror attacks that saw around 1,200 people massacred and hundreds more taken captive.

Taking to social media over the weekend, top Houthi leader Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi addressed British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, claiming that the UK was “responsible” for the fate of the Rubymar ship, which on Saturday became the first vessel to sink since the conflict broke out in the Red Sea after previously being hit by a Houthi missile. He went on to suggest that the new Rochdale MP could mediate a solution to the situation.

“We say to Sunak, you and your government bear responsibility for the ship M/V Rubymar.” Al-Houthi wrote on X. “You have a chance to salvage the M/V Rubymar by sending a letter of guarantee, signed by George Galloway, that the relief trucks agreed upon at that time would enter Gaza.”

Galloway, a former Labour Party MP and ex-presenter for Russian state media RT, has long been a supporter of the Palestinians and a frequent critic of Israel, previously calling for boycotts in Britain on Israeli goods and services while conversely organising aid deliveries into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The veteran leftist campaigner has also drawn criticism for cosying up to dictators such as Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Sadam Husein and Yasser Arafat.

That said, Galloway has earned plaudits from both sides of the aisle for his prodigious political skill and campaigning ability and for being pretty upfront about his views, his blunt positions generally contrasting sharply with the political shape-shifters that otherwise inhabit Westminster. However, the same cannot be said of his infamous and unsettling impression of a cat during his dalliance with reality television.

In a press conference outside of Parliament following his swearing-in ceremony, Galloway once again turned his focus on the Middle East, and appeared to compare the alleged “genocide” against the Palestinians of being similar to Nazi Germany’s holocaust against Jewish people in World War II.

“If the by-election had been in February of 1940 or 41 would anyone seriously have condemned me for putting the crimes of the Holocaust at the centre of my election?” he questioned.

Galloway is reportedly preparing to deliver his first speech as the MP for Rochdale on Wednesday. His presence and voice in the Commons will likely put pressure on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who has been desperately trying to keep his party in line on the issue of Israel after his far-left predecessor deeply damaged Labour’s electability by appearing to be soft on antisemitism from the leftist wing of the party.

Brexit leader Nigel Farage said that the victory of Galloway in Rochdale was an ominous sign for British politics as a whole, warning of increasing sectarianism and voting based on religious affiliation, alone.

“Sectarian politics is here to stay… This is voting along religious lines. This is real. This is here to stay. They are going to win seats at the next general election,” Farage told GB News, adding: “I suspect not many, but I do think this phenomenon with all of its ugliness, all of its intimidation, all of its wilfully breaking election law is here to stay.”

For his part, Galloway said that many people share his “point of view” in constituencies throughout the country, in what may be a not-so-subtle reference to the UK’s growing Muslim population. He said that his Worker’s Party of Britain therefore intends on standing candidates to challenge the Labour Party, including against senior leadership such as Deputy Leader Angela Rayner, who will be forced to defend her current parliamentary majority of 4,263.

“There’s at least 15,000 supporters of my point of view in her constituency. So we’ll be putting a candidate up against her, either a Workers party candidate or more likely an independent camp candidate that we support, and that will vitally affect the election of the nearby deputy leader,” Galloway said.

Follow Kurt Zindulka on X: or e-mail to: kzindulka@breitbart.com

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