Politician Bob Stewart’s conviction for racially aggravated breach of peace has been quashed.
Beckenham, who relinquished the Conservative whip last November during an appeal, had his conviction quashed at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.
Mr Stewart, 74, was found guilty in November after telling an activist to “go back to Bahrain” during an argument outside the Foreign Office Lancaster House in December 2022.
Bob Stewart was attending an event hosted by the Bahraini embassy when protester Saeed Ahmed Alwaday asked, “Bob Stewart, how much did you sell yourself to the Bahraini regime?” ” he shouted.
During the heated exchange, Stewart responded: It’s going to be a big fuss. Go back to Bahrain. ” He also told Al Wadai: “Fill your belly, Bahrain is a great place, it’s over.”
Ms Alwadai told the court she felt “dehumanized” after Mr Stewart told her to “go back to Bahrain”.
However, the judge ruled that while Stewart’s comments about Alwadai amounted to abuse, they did not cause anxiety or distress.
Sentencing on Friday, Judge Joel Benathan said: “The fact that Mr. Alwadai continued to speak to him in the same way and in the same tone even after Mr. Stewart’s outburst would hardly suggest to an observer that he had caused any disturbance. Alarm. Or pain.”
He acknowledged that Alwadai felt the comments were racist, but said that “the feelings of the person to whom the abusive comments were directed are not determinative, but not irrelevant.” .
Earlier, Lady Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, the first female appeal judge, addressed Mr Stewart’s character in court. she said: “He’s very kind and very generous. He can be a bit frivolous and unfriendly, which some people find off-putting, but I find him rather funny.” I’ve never heard him say that. I’ve never heard that he’s a racist.”
The court heard that Alwadayi had come to the UK as a refugee from Bahrain after being tortured for taking part in protests against the regime.
Mr. Alwadai said he wanted to question Mr. Stewart about his support for Bahrain. “Those who seek to belong to a regime so corrupt should be questioned about their affiliation,” he said.
Mr Stewart is a former British army officer who was stationed in Bahrain in 1969 and describes himself as a “friend” of the Middle Eastern country.
He denied that his comments were racist and insisted that it meant Mr Alwadayi could safely protest once he returned to Bahrain.
“[I said] Please go back to Bahrain, because I know Bahrain is a very decent place and I thought I would get a decent hearing there,” he told the court.
He said he was “offended” by Mr Alwaday’s comments, which he said made him feel “that he was corrupt and that he had taken money from Bahrain… that he had not received.” This upset me. ”
He added that when he says “I hate you,” it means “I hate what you say.”
