A criminal investigation was launched by British police on Thursday after a Member of Parliament was targeted in an arson attack on her offices overnight. The premises in her Tyne and Wear district in the north of England were not occupied at the time and no one was hurt. File photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
British police were investigating a suspected arson attack that seriously damaged the district offices of a Member of Parliament Sharon Hodgson.
The fire at the Washington and Gateshead constituency office Hodgson of , 275 miles north of London in Tyne and Wear, burnt out the building and destroyed the roof.
The blaze was so large that Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue deployed seven fire engines to the scene.
It later confirmed that there were no casualties and none of its firefighters were hurt.
Graffiti painted on the building read: “328 days blood on your hands.”
The date corresponds with Oct. 17, 2024, when Israel announced it had assassinated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
A spokesperson for Hodgson condemned the violence and vowed that she would not be intimidated.
“We will not be commenting or speculating while there is an ongoing police investigation. What we are clear on is that there is no place for this kind of violence in our society,” said the spokesperson.
“Sharon will not be deterred and will continue to support her constituents in Washington and Gateshead South as she does day in, day out.”
Northumbria Police said Thursday that they had arrested and were holding a man in his 20s on suspicion of criminal damage and arson.
Messages of support poured in from fellow MPs, particularly those in neighboring and other districts in northern England.
“I’m sure I speak for the whole House in sending our best wishes to our colleague in Washington and Gateshead South for the appalling fire at her office overnight, and send our very best wishes to her and her staff,” said Andy McDonald, the MP for the nearby constituency of Middlesbrough and Thornaby East.
Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson told colleagues in the House of Commons on Thursday it wasn’t the first time Hodgson had been targeted.
“I’d also like to offer my support to my honorable friend, the member for Washington and Gateshead. This incident follows several incidents that she’s experienced. It’s out of order,” she said.
Speaking for the government in Parliament on Thursday, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said the “thoughts of the whole House” would be with Hodgson.
“I think particularly in light of international events, and the tragic loss of colleagues, this all the more underlines why we must have security and safety to go about democratic debate in this country, whatever our views, in a safe and secure way,” he said in an apparent reference to Wednesday’s assassination of U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
In 2023, the north London offices of then-Conservative MP Mike Freer were badly damaged in a Christmas Eve blaze, with Freer subsequently saying he had received death threats over support for Israel.
