on my channel I'm Muhammad shafik with a
very special debate night tonight the
candidates from Bradford West
representing the respect party George
Gallaway Naz sha from the labor party
the debate tonight is about the most
talked about constituency in this
general election uh whichever side
you're on everybody's talking about
Bradford West tonight's the Show
everybody's been waiting for and talking
about so whenever you are sit back enjoy
and I hope uh you'll benefit from this
here on my channel we don't tell you how
to vote uh we put the candidates uh in
front of you and then it's up to you to
decide how you vote votings on May the
7th polls open from 7:00 till 10 p.m. uh
the opening statement first George gway
from the respect party
asalam most of your viewers already know
me for more than 40 Years of political
activity almost 30 of those years as a
member of
parliament uh almost 20 of those
as a labor Member of Parliament and I
hope to be back in the next Parliament
putting a labor prime minister into 10
Downing Street who knows I may even have
the casting vote if the current opinion
polls are accurate and the reason that
your voters uh your viewers rather know
me better than the viewers of any other
channel and better than any of my
opponents is because I have been at the
Forefront of defending the interests of
the Muslims and the minorities here in
Britain and across the world for almost
40 years and almost 30 of those in
Parliament nobody in Britain has stood
up for the Muslims spoken up for the
Muslims more than me for the last 3
years after a spectacular by-election
win I've been the Member of Parliament
for Bradford West and that's the reason
why the national and international media
are focused on this contest if I wasn't
in it trust me they wouldn't be because
Bradford was forgotten under 40 Years of
Labor rule 40 years during which the
city was allowed to sink and we won a
spectacular Biel Victory with a 10,000
majority unprecedented in the
circumstances precisely because the
people of Bradford West have been
betrayed for too long by labor now I was
in labor a long time I'm going to put a
labor prime minister into par that this
is not labor we are the real labor we
stand up for the things that labor used
to stand up for thank you very much
George Galloway that's sh from the labor
party
welcome thank you very much for inviting
us in host in this program today I was
equally excited to come today
um for the viewers at home uh this is a
debate for Bradford West so I'm going to
keep it at Bradford West I I was born in
Bradford West I was raised in Bradford
West and I continue to live there and I
my three children are being raised in
Bradford West and they go to Local
Schools when I'm out speaking to people
in Bradford West what they're talking
about what I'm what I'm finding is that
people bump into me and they know me for
my various activities whether that has
been in my community development gr as
an advocate for people with disabilities
whether that's been my in my capacity as
a chair of the largest BM mental health
charity in Bradford however that's been
in my commissioning role as a
commissioner in the NHS when I
commission volun Community sector across
Bradford um I am a Bradford person and
I'm familiar with the issues in Bradford
I also used to be a visional director
for a Muslim wom leadership development
program and I have run local businesses
I'm very very committed to Bradford and
the people of Bradford West because that
is who who I am that is where I'm from
and that's where I'm going to be long
after the 7th of May I will continue to
be there um what I would say in terms of
um putting Bradford on the map I as a
person of Bradford feel quite insulted
by um George Galloway's comments that
Bradford wasn't on the map Bradford has
always been on the map and this isn't
because of the people all over the world
just because of one person I think very
much like George George Grant I might
add that actually people of gr could
have need to take have a lot more credit
and have their own Solutions and and
have without no doubt that is what makes
Bradford Bradford not a politician thank
you very much anasha George gway with
one of the lowest voting records in the
House of Commons how are you a voice for
PR well can we nail this finally even
this close to polling day I'm in
Parliament every single day that's
obvious let me finish that's obvious
because
78% of every mention that's ever been
made in The Last 5 Years of Bradford
was made by me and I was only there
three of those 5 years I've tabled more
motions in front of parliament than any
other MP in the country and more than
all of the other Bradford MPS put
together you may not have known there
were other Bradford MPS but there are
but they haven't been doing much I can't
vote sometimes because the prime
minister's motion is as unacceptable to
me as Ed Milan's Amendment so
why not why not abstain why not go
through the I do abstain I do abstain
precisely because I cannot support
either new Labor's austerity light or
David Cameron and Nick pl's austerity
heavy I vote against every crime that
has been committed by labor and the
conservatives over these last decades I
voted against tuition fees when labor
introduced them I voted against the
trebling of them and opined often time
against it when the liberal Democrats
and the conservatives trebled it I voted
against every war when labor launched it
I voted against every so-called
anti-terrorism measure when labor and
the conservatives introduced them I'm
the one who stood against the 90 days
the 60 days the 30 days internment
without TR
that new labor introduced let me ask you
one more question according to the
register of members interest you made
£300,000
um as various media engagements that you
carry out across the world does that
make you a part it's not across the
world it's not across the
world
spending e my look my Russia Today
television programs on a Saturday my
press TV program is after Parliament
closes on a Thursday and my almadine
television show which comes from London
not Beirut is filmed at a weekend or on
a Monday night during the general
election not when the parliament is
sitting I present political TV programs
just like you I get paid just like you
nobody presents television programs for
nothing and if we did the only people
Rich are would be the owners of the
television station I just not sure in
the first election in Bradford West you
were the third choice I was and yet
you're standing here as the First Choice
why should br West will just choose you
if you were the third choice in your own
membership well the reason why BR West
should choose a mayor as parliamentary
candidate is simple because we have real
de for people ACR in the west we have
lots of policies which will support that
we will increase the minimum wage we
will offer more child care we will bring
real change W that's exactly why we
should choose but you're the third
choice
well that will in that selection meeting
according to sources in the labor party
you got 13 votes you can't convince your
own party colleagues are you going to
convince the people of Bradford West
well Bradford West it's very clear it's
very easy to convince the people of
Bradford West we've had an absente EMP
for the last three years who's Ved on
11.9% of the issues who's not who's in
more outside of Parliament and has 100%
attendance in all other jobs in
comparison to Parliament who says edms
are tabled more but come on you can and
and byy his own records has table 14 in
a day so really it's pretty easy to
convince people of bord West and in any
case what can one person do at the end
of the day a government runs a country
you need a party you need politics you
need you need infrastructure support I
would be using all of that so it's not
actually that hard to for people so you
you you somebody who was in favor of the
prevent strategy and now you're claiming
you're against the prevent strategy even
so much so you took money from prevent
let's be clear did you take money from I
did not take money from prevent let me
be really clear let's let's this EMP
employed in 2009 as a regional director
for a Muslim senior Muslim leadership
development program which was by the
bmcs regional panel and local government
yor from Humber in 2008 and 2009 speak
you know this there was not a lot of
money around in the volary sector now
when the funding came from CLG I was
appointed to deliver that program now if
that program about building capacity the
Muslim women leadership positions was
wrong then I held my hand up it was a
wrong thing to do but it wasn't at that
that time I delivered a a project which
was very very it was very sought after
if we're building capacity amongst
Muslim women as leaders of the future
what was wrong with that what happened
afterwards and I will absolutely endorse
that project which was CLG funded and
there were pockets of really good work
we have people in Bradford former
respect counselors who have now gone
back to respect who took that money that
does not mean to fear every single thing
was wrong what prevent became was wrong
and we have made a very clear commitment
that we will be over calling it and I'm
going to be at that discussion and I
will be fighting for that overhaul so no
I did I do not endorse preventing its
entirety I have endorsed and stand by
the projects that I have delivered and
they were good projects and rightful
Soul thank you so much n sha if you're
elected in a week's time and you're in
the House of Commons how would you vote
on nuclear triing we have we have
choices to be as a government we have
choices to make and those choices aren't
always going to be easy and on this one
we have been advised by the experts to
Endor Trident and stick with Trident so
that's what we doing as a government and
you would be supporting that yeah so
you'd be voting in favor of the 100
billion P TR newclear okay thank you
very much I hope that answers your could
I just that was linked to the NHS and I
yes let's talk about the NHS talk about
the NHS I think do you think the labor
party has recognized the NHS here yes no
no I don't I I fundamentally disagree
that what I feel the NHS is very close
to me because I used to commission
services in the NHS and I have a family
member who just recovered from cancer so
I know exactly what services in terms of
services that we use now we will we will
make sure we get cancer tests within one
week we will make more GP appointments
available within 48 hours we will be
putting more GPS in place more Midwife
and I think that is real commitment and
we have costed that out to through our
2.5 billion care to fund um time to care
fund and that that is going to make a
real difference to the NHS and I think
the NHS needs to belong to the people
and it was set up under a legal
government and we need to be it it
continuously needs to be belonged to the
people and not be privatized through
back door um okay let me just ask you um
Andy Burnham Your Shadow Health
secretary been he's a former Health
secretary was complaining that if the
conservatives got in for another five
years the NHS would be privatized do you
know the difference between the private
sector involvement between your party
and the conservative liberal I'm very
clear about it what we what we have what
the first one of the first things we
will do we will repeal the Health and
Social Care Act of 2014 we what we will
do is the reason we will repeal that is
because at the moment chunks of the NH
which are the most profitable can be
done by other businesses and they can
bid for them and that we don't think
that's right we don't think we should
leave the services but do you know the
difference between the two private
sector involvement between the two
governments yes absolutely one one's the
profit and one's not profit we don't
want we want that profit well actually
let me not understand let me give you
the let me give you the let me give you
the facts under 13 years of a labor
government yeah there was 4.3% private
sector involvement under the coalition
government the liberal Democrats and
conservatives it's
5.6% just over
1% exactly if she can't if she can't
answer let me answer oh please this
privatize well it's quite obvious you
can't answer how can you answer that it
was Blair and brown that began the
privatization of the National Health
Service just like it was Blair and brown
that introduced the University tuition
and then they complain that the tourist
have marginally increased the amount of
privatization by 1% these people cannot
be taken seriously she's dumbfounded she
doesn't have an answer she doesn't know
that answer and if she did know it she'd
be embarrassed presumably to tell you
but let's move on to islamophobia and
anti-muslim hatred George G you've been
as you said in Parliament for a number
of years what have you done to race this
issue of islamophobia well I think your
viewers already know that that I have
seen foremost in this country in
standing up in defense of the Muslims I
told the labor leader Tony Blair when he
invaded Iraq just before it a couple of
weeks before it in the library Corridor
to be precise I told them that if you
send hundreds of thousands of foreign
soldiers to attack invade and occupy a
Muslim country you'll end up with war
throughout the world including on our
own streets you will place the British
State on a collision course with the
Muslims and every prevent agenda every
anti-terrorism measure one after the
other has completely failed to deal with
this problem and the more you take that
approach the more Fear and Loathing and
hatred of Muslims you will agender in
the country and that's why the Henry
Jackson Society are here it's why khed
Mahmud I mean George is right he's not
actually responsible for most of the
crimes of the Henry Jackson Society he
didn't invent the Trojan HX Khaled
Mahmud the Birmingham labor MP invented
it and he's NASA's campaign manager in
Bradford he's been he's been in
Bradford scared
of' all seen pictures why is there
anybody else we've all seen the pictur
got pictures of don't me don't force me
to talk about your relationship don't
force me to talk about your relationship
can I just let George finish I promise
you you can you can respond you can
respond KH Mahmud is the author of The
Trojan Hax the Trojan Horse That Never
Was Khaled Mahmud of the Henry Jackson
Society is one of the Premier witch
Hunters of Muslims in this country and
he's in Bradford every every other day
at nasha's site he's running our
campaign the Facebook pictures the
Twitter pictures all prove it so we've
got Khaled Mahmud in Bradford and we've
got George Grant of the Henry Jackson
Society in Bradford and we've got and
we've got and we've got from across the
Atlantic Louise mench in peretic
perpetual motion and so it's obvious
there's a job being done on Bradford by
the islamophobes by the people who hate
Muslims
I'm I'm the person who stands up against
them n just respond to to that point
about the Henry Jackson Society say KH
sorry mm and his Le toan horse and to
any
other do you reject that I no you can
ask him that I'm asking I'm asking you
what do you think of the GE no let me
ask the question which you've asked me
to and let me respond to that first and
foremost khed mmud is is uh old enough
to answer for himself of what he's doing
in his terms of his policies I do not
speak for him he does not manage my
campaign I have people here who manage
my campaign yes it is no it is
absolutely no word of lie is absolutely
correct that Khaled I was introduced to
khed back in June and that was when my
political Journey started but I am a
person of my own right and in terms of
saying I absolutely you know I I I'm I'm
shocked I'm well I'm not actually
because that's what I expect from this
good kind kind type of politics which is
personalizing things I have stood up for
Muslims I have stood up for women's
right I have stood up for Palestine I
have done what was in within my
capability to do that and I absolutely
take issue with that to threatening me
on live TV don't let me talk about your
personal stuff oh please what are you
going to do pull out what is it what are
you afraid of
guys please George please no let's stick
to let's stick to the issue is there is
a perception there is a perception the
neocons like the Henry Jackson Society
uh the edl the quenum foundations of
these worlds perpetuate the islamophobia
and Society KH mmud is a is a member of
the board Advisory Board of the Henry
Jackson Society
mm you M's voice I'm asking about
islamophobia the perpetuate islamophobia
islamophobia are organizations that
absolutely
perpetuate do you condemn the heavy Jack
absolutely condemn a lot of you last
word on islamophobia to Nasha in terms
of islamophobia we have just made a
commitment to make it a hate crime just
like I'm semitism and I think that will
go a long way in addressing issues to be
able to have it in law and I think
that's a brave step and I think that's a
brilliant step on part of the LA party
so I I certainly welcome that and I'll
be I'll be making sure i' be pushing
that agenda n again it's on it's on on
the text um did
B support for intervention in Libya
contribute to the carniv that we see in
the country today I think we it I'd like
George I think there is lots of that
work we could do there were difficult
choices we made them but let's look at
Syria where we didn't intervene and Edan
made sure that we didn't intervine and I
think there were each situation
individual saw 200,000 being being
killed in Syria and you turned a blind
eye to it I'm not convinced to turned a
blind eye to it I think 200,000 people
being killed children made by the regime
and you said that you we're not going to
do anything we're just going to make a
Party fuing House of Commons no because
what we have we have unique individual
circumstances of each country we have
the Arab Uprising I absolutely T I do
not T I do not agree with George
Galloway's assertion that because of
Iraq we have a mess in the Middle East I
think there was enough priz in the
Middle East and let's be clear about
what happened in that with syrians as
Tunisia if you look at Tunisia now they
have some stability back they have their
own Solutions why should we be going in
and fixing people what fixing things we
should be Libya then because Libya was
Libya was very you just said you just
said why should we go in you just said
let me just let me ask you you just said
why should we go in and tell them how to
do it but yet you support Libya and you
don't support Libya a bit of a
hypocritical position no not really not
at all it's a contradiction I can hold
really well and it's not actually it's
not a contradiction if you look at it
you look at it Libya Libya was about a
tyranny against people in Syria you have
different it's tyranny against Syria
it's a dictator killing his own people
there different pockets of people in
Syria so George Galloway let's let's ask
you on foreign policy particularly on
Syria you know you you you're somebody
who are you somebody that supports the
regime no uh I just because people said
that people said that you support Assad
people people say all kinds of things we
just heard a labor candidate saying she
can hold her contradiction quite well uh
they nonsense here's the situation in s
I'm not a supporter of the regime I'm an
opponent of their enemies who are their
enemies Isis Al-Qaeda Saudi Arabia
Britain France the United States and
Israel sorry I'll never be on their side
I argued from the very first day day
before the first day that the only path
for Syria is a negotiative diplomatic
transition to democracy and I urge the
Syrian regime to call a Democrat atic
election and if they had done so at that
time they might well have avoided This
Disaster but for n to say that she
disagrees with me that the invasion of
Iraq is the cause of all this well
that's go smacking even by her standards
every fool knoweth that sending hundreds
of thousands of American and British
soldiers to invade and occupy an Arab
Muslim country has cascading around the
world
[Applause]
all I'm just going to ask you candidates
I'm just going to ask you please just if
you just kind of respect me and I
promise I'll get all of you I will I
will bring you back uh let's just move
on um there's a question here for unas
sha around Palestine um it says uh Your
Leader Ed minan said he was a Zionist do
you back him if he said he was a Zionist
absolutely not because the end day what
I believe is that Ed Mand is not a
Zionist it's not something that I would
sign up to I'm very clear that Ed Mand
is the person who took who to who
ensured that we voted for Palestine a
state in Palestine and our absente EMP
didn't vote on the issue of Palestine he
didn't vote for it and I think that's
absolutely fundamentally wrong so yeah I
no I don't can we get that clear yeah
did he is is he a Zionist or is he not a
Zionist he said he's a Zionist my
understanding of is that somebody who
does not believe in a two set solution I
think your action speak louder than your
words he but he has also led the vote
for two- State solution which you
haven't voted on George because I'm
against it why would I vote for
something that I'm against I believe
that Palestine Palestine should be free
from The River To The Sea you say you
agree but you've just said you have to
have aace solution you have to have a
peaceful solution George you can't I
know I I know the contradictions are
your uh the name of your game do you
support a two-state solution or should
Palestine be free from The River To The
Sea perhaps you don't know what that
means the river Jord to the mediteran on
Palestine Rec I am against
not a fact I'm against it against itog
stop baring and let me speak George it
it is it is not a solution that's why
I'm against it I believe in one de one
Democratic happen to the Israelis who
live in is they contined to live there
just not in somebody else's house just
not on somebody else's land it would be
a bational state called Israel hyphen
Palestine Palestine hyphen Israel
according to your taste that's the only
thing that actually is a solution the
other things pretend to be
Solutions question in any future vote in
the House of Commons in the next
Parliament because when I spoke to Edan
last week in my interview which we'll
show you hopefully next week Ed Milan
said that if he was elected as prime
minister one of the first things he
would do was encourage the British
government to formally recognize a
Palestinian State absolutely you would
vote against that no of course not but
the motion that was before the
parliament recognize the state of Israel
and I don't I don't recognize it it's an
illegitimate state a European settler
colonial state a terrorist State an
illegal occupier State a possessor of
illegally acquired nuclear weapons State
a terrorist State you of course from the
Henry Jackson Society are the main are
the main world propagandists for Israel
now NZ will be grateful I'm sure uh of
your defense but the people watching
this program know she her journey began
last June she tells us after meeting
khed mahm well my journey began on
Palestine in
1975 my as as God gives me as long as
God gives me breath I will fight for the
rights of the Palestinian people okay I
want to give
George better of Mr Gallow accusing
anyone who opposes him being a Zionist
it is absolutely are you a Zionist
ridiculous if by a Zionist you mean do I
believe in a state of Israel if by aist
you mean my apologist for everything
that Israel does then absolutely not if
you believe in the state of Israel
You're a why you being off why you
offended I'm not offended I'm I'm
offended no because I'm offended because
Zionism today means in people's minds
the connotation is that you're an
apologist for everything that the state
of Israel does that is how much did we
spend on your education a Zionist a
Zionist is a supporter of the state of
is Israel a final question to you I just
want to ask you
uh you obviously you know you you you
campaign I think I saw you at one of the
protests was it last year um during the
Palestinian uh yeah I I the conv so
you've got an involvement what would you
do differently to what George Gallow is
doing in Parliament I would vote that's
what I would do I would pass my vote I
would make sure it count what I would
also do is Lobby people if you can't
change things on your own as one person
we can shout as much as we want there's
a place for activism there's an absolute
place for activism there's an absolute
place for protesting there is and that's
our Civic right and that's our civic
duty however we also have to engage in
conversations until we don't engage in
them conversations we will not achieve
the change that we seek we must bring
people on if you look at s Gerald
Kaufman he was a Zionist he was you know
we're hoping he's going to be coming
down to Radford but he is one of the
biggest Advocates now so people can
change he's an absolute example of that
change so why wouldn't we want to change
and bring people Along on that Journey
to recognize what happening what is
happening in Palestine is absolutely
fundamentally wrong as it is with any
other places that are occupied what is
happening I would you know it's wrong
it's fund it's not right it's you've got
people in an open prison that is not
right you've got children dying you've
got people being killed no B you know
we're privileged in this country we're
privileged I wake up and I see my kids
aren't being you know don't have their
Liv ripped apart that that means
something to me that's real that's
reality over there it's not a reality
that we should be able to back and live
with okay let's take a call let's go to
Bradford and talk to good
evening yes what do you like to say I
just like to ask a question about the
last incursion happened in Gaza uh by
the Israeli Army I just like to ask it's
just a simple question really and
viewers like to hear the answer from all
of them do they regard genocide women
and children being
killed okay thank you very much one word
question yes or no C would you Rec that
as a
genocide absolutely George absolutely
sorry George gr not as a
genocide yes har yes George Gall yes
they're trying to wipe the Palestinian
thank you one word questions thank you
answer sorry uh let's move on Bradford
uh whatever your views are and there are
many thousands of you watching this from
Bradford tonight uh that want to talk
about Bradford so let's talk about
Bradford uh in the last few moments that
we have
Asha positively what would you do for
the people PR on local issues obviously
and I appreciate that you've been
locking doors for the last few weeks and
you you you all of you all five of you
will be Masters about what people right
West need for those that haven't met you
just yet what would you do to what would
you give people I would be on on a local
level the education system that would be
a priority for me and I would be it
would be a priority because my children
are at school and my my daughter just
going to be going into a secondary
school now and the standards need to be
improved um we have just accepted the
recommendations in the council for the
by Professor Woods which is who turned
around the and we will move straight now
to closing statements each candidat can
have one minute um to make their closing
statements as we've already tossed a
coin the first candidate to go first is
n of the labor party thanks um I'm not a
career politician I am a community
activist by background I have 20 years
of experience with fighting for women's
rights what I will do for Bradford West
and the people of Bradford West is
really clear I will vote on the issues
that matter I will have an attendance
which is much better than the current
the last absente EMP we've had I will
vote on the issues it's not just about
tabling the edns it's about actually
being part of a solution so on Palestine
I will be there to vote for the
recognition of Palestine we will also I
will be there pushing to make sure that
we do make islamophobia a hate crime
like we have said we will and Ed lant
has given that commitment we will be
tackling issu head issues that affect
the communities of Bradford West
absolutely head on and I will do that
with the support of a big party with the
support of infrastructure Finance to
make sure we bring money and investment
into Bradford change the education
achievements in Bradford attainment and
create skill sets and act and meaningful
engagement I think Bradford has it thank
you very much indeed har thank you thank
you I started off earlier on by saying
that I have a great deal of respect for
the gentleman on my left again um George
uh George is a is a very well-known
aitor he's a a seasoned politician but
from in my from my perspective I don't
think he is suited for the needs of
Bradford and I put myself forward here
to to bring Bradford together as an old
Brad forian I've come back R backing
them up and inshallah I'll be the person
who be doing that for you after 7th of
May thank you so much and last but not
least George G for the respect party
well n Shar in bottom of the poll in the
labor selection and everyone watching
the program now knows why this is going
to be a hung Parliament a parliament in
which debate speeches argument reason
intellect and experience matter and I
think that you've seen enough this
evening to know which of the two uh Main
candidates in this election between me
and Nasha has that we have six demands
that I will table in front of Ed
millerand which are the price of my
putting him into Downing Street if you
want to know them go to respect
party.org George gallway thank you so
much Harry boter George Grant Nasha and
Celia Hixon thank you so much to them
for coming all this way from Bradford to
Blackman we thank them we thank you all
uh who have watched it but from me
Muhammad shafik and whole team thank you
for joining us good
night can we just kind stay where you
are just take one picture
for you can you just take