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Arrest after video appears to show man spit on murdered MP statue

Shivani ChaudhariEssex
News imagePress Association Sir David wearing a black blazer, a white shirt and a dark blue tie, he is smiling at the camera.Press Association
Sir David, 69, had been an MP since 1983 and was married with five children

A man has been arrested as part of an investigation after a TikToker uploaded a video of him appearing to spit on the statue of a murdered MP.

Sir David Amess was the Conservative MP for Southend West when he was stabbed multiple times in 2021. A statue in his memory was unveiled in 2024.

Essex Police said a man in his 30s was arrested in Westcliff-on-Sea on Friday after an investigation was launched.

The man was questioned on suspicion of a public order offence and criminal damage and remains in custody.

News imagePress Association A statue of a man wearing a suit. There are some homes in the background and a concrete wall.Press Association
Sir David was the second serving MP to be killed in five years, following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016

Sir David was stabbed to death at a constituency surgery on October 15 2021 by so-called Islamic State fanatic Ali Harbi Ali, who was sentenced to a whole-life order for the murder.

The family's spokesman Radd Seiger said the they welcomed the police investigation and said earlier in the week that they were "deeply upset" by what they had seen.

Seiger said: "David believed passionately in freedom of expression and the right to disagree.

"He understood that people would hold different political views, sometimes profoundly so."

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