Reform UK’s Rochdale by-election candidate has said George Galloway’s rival campaign is “whipping” people “into a frenzy” after he received a death threat on social media.
Simon Danczuk, an ex-Labour MP for Rochdale who is now standing for the right-wing challenger party, received a string of direct messages on social media and a video where an online troll appears to threaten to gun him down.
Speaking to the Independent, Mr Danczuk said he links the threats to Mr Galloway’s campaign: “It’s just outrageous really, and I do actually link it to the campaigning that Galloway’s been doing in Rochdale. He’s really whipping up division, and I think that’s really unfortunate”.
In the footage, which has been posted on the Reform UK’s social media feed, the online creator is heard uttering expletives before threatening to “put one in his head”.
Reform UK leader Richard Tice has said political leaders are running in fear of extremists (Joe Giddens/PA)
In the string of direct messages, the individual tells Mr Danczuk: “How dare you send such letters in our Muslim [sic] community”, and says “I am going to assault you when I see you and I care not of the consequences”.
Mr Danczuk said the comments were “disconcerting” and he took it “very seriously, not least because the guy said he didn’t mind the consequences.”
The Reform UK candidate said he was talking to a senior Rochdale counsellor prior to receiving the threat, who remarked that “[Since] Galloway has come into town, particularly in terms of young people, he’s is really whipped them up into a frenzy around Gaza”.
The threats come after a particularly chaotic by-election campaign in Rochdale. The Labour candidate, Mr Azhar Ali, was suspended from the party after he repeated a conspiracy theory that Israel had allowed the October 7 attack to take place.
George Galloway, the candidate for the Workers’ Party, has used the Palestinian flag in his campaign materials and has targeted local Muslim voters by focusing on the issue of Gaza. He is currently the bookies favourite to win.
Mr Galloway has also claimed that his campaign materials across Rochdale have been “ripped down and destroyed”.
A video posted to social media last week appeared to show Mr Danczuk being told he was not allowed to take part in a local by-election hustings in the town.
Mr Danczuk told the Independent that his wife has now been taken of the campaign trail for her own safety and the Reform party have sent Mr Danczuk two security personnel for the remainder of his campaign.
The Worker’s Party of Britain and Greater Manchester police have been approached for comment.
