Zarah Sultana starts every event she attends the same way.
She has to log the date, location and time into a little mechanical device at each destination so security teams know where she is.
That way, if any danger were to occur, her colleagues and the parliamentary authorities can send support as quickly as possible.
She’s the Labour MP for Coventry South and the youngest Muslim MP ever elected in this country and believes this is partly the reason why this year – according to parliament’s own records – she’s the most at-risk MP online.
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Since the 7 October attacks by Hamas on Israel, there has been a noticeable uptick in the hatred and abuse she receives online and she says, ever since she has started talking about Palestinian rights, the abuse has come thick and fast.
Often when talking about abuse, out of politeness, we risk sanitising the words that people direct towards her. So I cautiously ask her whether she would mind being open about what life is like for her on an average day.
She candidly whips out her phone and rattles off some of the types of abuse she has to deal with.
“‘You should be deported b***h,” the first one reads.
“Go home to Pakistan,” another abuser writes.
The last one before I stop her is the most shocking – it simply says: “Send that b***h to Palestine they are low on targets.”
I ask her why then she’s on social media at all. She insists it’s a crucial part of the job and it’s the most effective way to communicate with constituents as a young MP.
I’m accompanying her over 24 hours to see how these threats have impacted her, but in the process I’m amazed at how many security decisions she’s constantly making. She avoids public transport when she can, she’s thinking of any exits of every building she walks into…
