Colonel Bob Stewart, a veteran Tory and Member of Parliament for Beckenham, has been found guilty of racially abusing activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei. The incident occurred during a heated exchange outside the Foreign Office last year, where Stewart told Alwadaei to "go back to Bahrain" and accused him of taking money from the UK. The MP was charged with a racially aggravated public order offence and has been fined £600, with additional legal costs bringing the total to £1,435.

Heated Exchange Outside the Foreign Office

The incident took place when Alwadaei shouted at Stewart, accusing him of selling himself to the Bahraini regime. In response, Stewart told him to "go away" and expressed his dislike, telling Alwadaei to "go back to Bahrain." He also dismissed him as a "stupid man."

Guilty Verdict and Punishment

Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring found Stewart guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence. Despite the conviction, Stewart will not be jailed. Instead, he has been fined £600 and will have to pay additional legal costs.

MP Denies Racism Allegations

Throughout the trial, Stewart maintained his innocence and denied being racist. He described the allegations as "absurd" and expressed his deep hurt at having to appear in court. Stewart claimed that the incident was in response to Alwadaei's accusations of corruption and taking money. He stated that his honor was at stake and that he found Alwadaei's comments extremely offensive.

Stewart clarified that when he told Alwadaei to "go back to Bahrain," he meant that he should make his point in his home country. He insisted that he did not mean to imply that Alwadaei was a freeloader and assumed that he, like himself, was benefiting from living in the UK.