"I have emerged from that world into a heated controversy around Julian Assange which is conflating issues around freedom of speech with debates about what constitutes violence against women.
Let me be clear, as a politician and as a woman. Rape occurs when a woman has not consented to sex. George Galloway’s comments on what constitutes rape are deeply disappointing and wrong.
There are many political issues entwined in the case of Julian Assange. These issues cannot be used to diminish in any way the seriousness of any allegations against him. Any individual accused of a crime, sexual or otherwise, is innocent until proven guilty. By the same token, any individual who believes themselves to be a victim has a right to have their grievances heard in a fair manner and not have their allegations belittled or dismissed. This is the cornerstone of justice.
This turn of events may well act to undermine Assange's defence against those powerful forces keen to make an example of him for exposing the crimes of Empire. It has certainly taken the debate around violence against women a step backwards".
It is not known what if any disciplinary action, if any, Respect will take with George Galloway. However Ms Yaqoob isn't the only politician to criticise George Galloway. Labour's Bridget Phillipson said the comments were "dreadful" while Conservative Louise Mensch said it was "so ironic" that he represented a party called Respect. And campaigners for justice for rape victims said the MP's understanding of what constituted rape appeared to be "factually incorrect".
Jo Swinson, the Lib Dem MP who is a Parliamentary aide to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, said it was "grossly irresponsible" to suggest that "sex without consent is anything other than rape". "Mr Galloway should apologise and retract his comments immediately," she added. "As a public figure, rather than obsessing on conspiracy theories he should be sending a very clear signal to any victim of sexual violence that sex without consent is always rape."
Rape Crisis said the law was clear that if the woman was asleep when a sexual encounter began, consent cannot "reasonably" have been given and having had sex before did not give a man the right to have sex again at any time and assume consent.
Mr Galloway, who is travelling in Indonesia, issued a statement, saying he was "happy to clarify" his remarks. "No never means yes and non-consensual sex is rape. There's no doubt about it and that has always been my position," he said. "I don't believe, from what we know, that the Director of Public Prosecutions would sanction a prosecution in Britain," he added.
