Jacob Rees-Mogg has shaken off the protesters who called him “Tory scum” and instead applauded how the freedom to protest peacefully is “awesome.”
The business secretary, who needed a police escort on his way to the… Conservative Party conference, didn’t seem bothered by the protesters who chased and harassed him when he entered Birmingham on Sunday.
Speaking at the convention Monday night, Mr Rees-Mogg referred to the hostile reception from screaming protesters as a “warm welcome” and said he “didn’t mind” being insulted by the crowd.
Video footage of his arrival at the International Convention Center showed Mr Rees-Mogg smiling Sunday evening as frustrated Britons called him aw****r and ab*****d.
Fellow Tory MP Michael Fabricant was also tortured against him by protesters outside the conference – some even called him a ‘Tory c***’.
Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured Monday) has shrugged off the protesters who called him ‘Tory scum’ and instead cheered how having the right to protest peacefully is ‘great’
The secretary of state, who needed a police escort (pictured) on his way to the Conservative Party conference, seemed unconcerned by the protesters who chased and harassed him when he arrived in Birmingham on Sunday
Rees-Mogg’s appointment by incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss has been widely criticized by environmental groups for his criticism of “climate alarmism” and support for fracking.
The MP addressed the hostile protesters during his speech at the convention Monday night.
“I want to thank you for receiving me almost as warmly as I came out of the room,” he told the crowd.
“That’s pretty amazing, having a democracy where you can walk the streets and people can exercise their right to peaceful protest.
He added: “If people really want to call me Tory scum, I don’t mind.”
Police officers were forced to stop protesters on Sunday who were swearing and screaming at the Business Secretary
Mr Rees-Mogg seemed unimpressed by the abuse he received and later said the protests were ‘nothing new’
His comments at the conference echoed statements he made to Sky News Sunday night as he was led through the crowd by police.
“There have been protests at Tory conferences from time immemorial, it is nothing new,” Rees-Mogg told the TV station. “It is a fact of democracy.
“They scream, but it’s perfectly peaceful. And the right to peaceful expression of your views is fundamental to our constitution.’
Video footage shows the Secretary of State taking up the gauntlet of witches yelling “Tory scum” at him as he entered the conference early.
Rees-Mogg was met with hostility as he crossed Victoria Square in the city center, where hundreds of protesters gathered to express their frustration with the Tory government.
While on his way to the International Convention Center for the annual conference, he saw the MP being escorted by several officers who kept their eyes on him as protesters yelled at him.
Officers were seen pushing protesters away from Mr Rees-Mogg as they looked to get his attention and indiscreetly film him.
Meanwhile, Mr. Fabricant was also taunted outside the conference.
Video shows the MP walking through Birmingham before a young man walks up next to him and starts following him.
The protester starts yelling angrily and gesturing at Mr Fabricant before appearing to swing at the MP for Lichfield.
Dozens of other protesters appear to surround Mr Fabricant as he walks into the conference.
Clearly concerned for his safety, a police officer accompanying him begins to protect him and runs away.
As he walked through the crowd, the Tory MP was repeatedly asked why he had decided to go through “the midst of the protesters.”
He replied jovially: ‘To be honest I didn’t know which way to go, but it’s nice to meet people!’
Tory MP for Lichfield, Michael Fabricant, had a police escort as he arrived at the Conservative Party Conference on Sunday
Dozens of other protesters appeared to surround Mr Fabricant on Sunday as he walked into the conference
Meanwhile, backbench Tory MP Michael Fabricant was surrounded by protesters outside the conference
Mr Fabricant continued to insist that he had not been attacked by protesters, contrary to social media reports that he was pushed “quite violently”.
He said he was “wrongly sent in the middle of the protest”.
He added that this could make the protesters think he was “deliberately provoking them.”
“Social media suggests I was ‘attacked’ when I tried to enter #CPC2022. I wasn’t,” he tweeted.
He added: ‘No one touched me. Just shouted abuse. They were just loud!’
The lawmaker added that a protester, not seen in the video, “tried to blow a plastic horn in my ear as I walked.”
“I asked him to stop, but he refused. So I grabbed his horn and threw it away. I think he was more shocked than I was!’
But like his colleague, Mr. Rees-Mogg, Mr. Fabricant downplayed the aggressive behavior towards him, calling the crowd “loud but disciplined.”
He said despite the deluge of verbal abuse he received, ‘we live in a democracy and people have every right to protest.’