RECENTLY appointed education minister Andrea Jenkyns has released a statement defending her delivering a middle finger gesture to Boris Johnson protesters.
In a statement posted to her Twitter page, she said she had “reached the end of her tether” after having dealt with seven death threats over the past four years.
She said: “I responded and stood up for myself. Just why should anyone have to put up with this sort of treatment.
“I should have shown more composure but I’m only human.”
— Andrea Jenkyns MP (@andreajenkyns) July 9, 2022
A number of people had gathered to boo, shout and sing “Bye Bye Boris” as he confirmed his intent to leave Number 10 by the autumn.
Jenkyns appeared to tell the crowd: “Those who laugh last laugh loudest.”
However, many were not impressed with her statement, with one Twitter user replying:
“I'm a teacher. We're expected to uphold the highest standards in both our professional and personal life. If I had acted as you did then I would, rightly, be facing disciplinary action.
“We have high expectations of our public servants. You have fallen far short of these.”
I'm a teacher. We're expected to uphold the highest standards in both our professional and personal life. If I had acted as you did then I would, rightly, be facing disciplinary action. We have high expectations of our public servants. You have fallen far short of these.
— James Slone 💙 (@jgslone) July 9, 2022
Jenkyns's apparent disdain for protesters is much in line with Tory politics. Earlier this year, the Tory government successfully passed the “authoritarian” Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
The Act has granted police in England and Wales new “draconian” powers to restrict demonstrations and curtail “noisy” protests, which has raised vital concerns for democratic freedoms.
