Labour activists have threatened to follow the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg around the party conference in Brighton to prove she does not need a bodyguard.
Ms Kuenssberg has been subjected to threats and abuse over her coverage of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
But the decision of the BBC to send a security officer to protect the political editor has enraged hard-left activists convinced of a media stitch up against them.
Labour MP Jess Phillips condemned the activists today warning that threatening to ‘stalk’ Ms Kuenssberg would only prove the need for security
Mr Corbyn has faced calls to personally step in and condemn the threats against the journalist.
One Labour activist today claimed the threats against Laura Kuenssberg were ‘codswallop’ and insisted the journalist was ‘unmolested’
The tweet prompted another delegate to suggest following Ms Kuenssberg to prove the claims were overblown (pictured)
Labour MP Jess Phillips stepped into slap down the pair and accused them of threatening to ‘stalk’ the BBC political editor
Birmingham MP Ms Phillips has repeatedly spoken out about abuse of Ms Kuenssberg in Brighton this week and today said she was ‘deeply saddened’
Twitter user Tish Naughton claimed today that the threats against Ms Kuenssberg were ‘codswallop’, adding: ‘She is walking around at conference unmolested as she did at Labour manifesto launch. Propaganda.’
Another user, Ruth Sakr, replied: ‘Someone there should perhaps video her walking around freely without bodyguards and post it on here!’
Ms Phillips immediately slapped down the delegates.
She posted: ‘Yeah let’s stalk her dudes. That’ll prove she’s not at risk.
‘So deeply saddened by attitudes I’ve been training people to resist for a decade surface to easily.’
Yesterday Diane Abbott has pleaded with Labour Party activists not to abuse Ms Kuenssberg.
The shadow home secretary said it is ‘just wrong’ that the BBC’s political editor is targeted and told the trolls ‘just don’t do it’.
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, pictured at Labour conference in Brighton yesterday, has been pictured with a man thought to be her bodyguard (left)
Ms Kuenssberg, pictured at Labour conference in Brighton yesterday, has suffered a wave of abuse from Corbynista trolls. Her bodyguard is thought to be a former soldier who works for a security firm used by the BBC
Ms Abbott told a fringe meeting at the conference: ‘Don’t do it. Just don’t do it. There is a positive case to make on Jeremy online, make that positive case. You don’t have to be abusing other people.
‘People need to think, “you know what, I’m going to put out a positive tweet about Jeremy, I won’t put out something unpleasant about Laura Kuenssberg”.’
‘Laura is doing a job, I may not always like how she does the job every time, but it is her job and why – just because she is a woman journalist – does she get that level of abuse. It’s wrong.’
But while many Labour MPs have condemned the abuse, a close Corbyn ally tried to brush of criticisms by suggesting the Left is being ‘demonised’ over the vile abuse.
Derby North MP Chris Williamson rejected the idea that any Labour supporters were to blame.
He told TalkRadio it was ‘appalling’ that Ms Kuenssberg felt she needed protection.
But he took issue with presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer saying the Left were behind the abuse.
‘It is a convenient thing to say, to try to demonise people on the Left,’ Mr Williamson said.
Mr Williamson said it ‘certainly’ was not Labour members responsible because they were ‘caring’ people and would not ‘indulge’ in threats of violence.