Greens deputy leader demands Starmer apologise for false claims that sparked death threats.

The deputy leader of the Green Party has called for an apology from Keir Starmer after the prime minister seemed to endorse inaccurate accusations that he demonstrated in favour of the Iranian regime, a claim that has resulted in death threats being directed at him.

Mothin Ali said he was “so scared” that the racist threats had escalated to a level where “it feels like this time it might get me killed”.

Several threatening messages sent to Ali and reported by CuriosityNews included “we know where to find you”, “you have no idea what’s coming” and a note urging him to “pack your bags before it’s too late”.

The messages arrived after Ali, a Green Party local councillor, took part in an anti‑war protest in Parliament Square on Saturday that was misrepresented by outlets such as GB News as a rally supporting the Iranian regime.

“It could cost me my life, this kind of story,” he said. “I’m an anti‑war activist, I got involved in politics because of anti‑war issues. I was there to condemn the illegal attacks [by the US and Israel on Iran] and to raise my voice against Britain becoming involved.”

Starmer told the Commons on Monday: “I think we were all shocked by the actions of the deputy leader of the Green Party – although perhaps not surprised, given the party’s recent shift in direction.”

His remark responded to a question from Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke, who said he was “appalled – not shocked, I am afraid to say – as I am sure the prime minister was, to see at the weekend the deputy leader of the Green Party once again protesting in support of the ayatollah”. He added: “I am afraid that the Green Party has become a magnet for all the people who the prime minister quite rightly kicked out of the Labour Party.”

Shelbrooke also implied, without presenting evidence, a link between Ali and antisemitism. The statements were made under parliamentary privilege, which shields MPs from legal action for remarks spoken in the Commons.

Ali was later defended in parliament by MP Ellie Chowns, who accused Shelbrooke of “attacking the reputation” of her Green Party colleague. She noted that he had “attended a CND Stop the War anti‑war protest in line with his principles of being anti‑war and pro‑democracy and diplomacy”.

Starmer and Shelbrooke have been approached for comment.

Prof Abbas Edalat, founder of CASMII (Campaign Against Sanctions, Military and Imperial Interventions), which organised the demonstration with backing from the Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said there were “different tendencies, different ideologies, different positions about the domestic situation in Iran” on Saturday.

Nevertheless, the assertions aired by GB News that the event was a rally backing the regime were inaccurate. “It was a rally against the US and Israeli attack, now supported by the UK government, against Iran,” Edalat said. “That was the central slogan, against the illegal, unprovoked attack on Iran.