In today’s Diary: Ex-Labour MP Denis MacShane saves the day while taking a beating
DON’T mess with Denis MacShane! The former Labour MP, author and Good Samaritan is in Brussels, and says that he stepped in to help a man in a street attack yesterday, only to get a beating himself.
“Outside European Parliament thugs from People’s Mujahedin of Iran violently attacking elderly man, hitting with sticks, kicks etc,” he tweeted yesterday. “I told them to stop it, so they started attacking me with sticks, fists etc. And we weren’t even discussing Brexit!”
MacShane, pictured, a former minister for Europe, has been spending a fair amount of time in Brussels, observing and commenting on the Brexit negotiations — he claims to be the man who coined the B-word in the first place, and has written two books on the subject.
So is he OK? The Londoner inquired. “Fine,” MacShane replied. “Just [a] weird flash attack by nutters. No cops in sight. I tried to stop it — wading in pompously, shouting out loud — but all that happened was they attacked me.”
The European Parliament, in the Leopold Quarter in Brussels, should in theory be well policed, or at least have some security guards keeping an eye on things. The People’s Mujahedin of Iran is a political organisation which is calling for the overthrow of the Iranian regime.
MacShane is carrying on with his daily business, even if he was a little surprised that his pompous wading had little effect on the outcome. “At least I gave the first victim a chance to run away,” he said. “Don’t think I have been attacked by Mujahedin before!”
(…)
Evening Standard, London
