Charity demands meeting with Anas Sarwar over 'disgraceful joke about stroke victims'

ANAS Sarwar is facing calls to immediately apologise and meet with a leading charity after a “disgraceful joke at the expense of stroke survivors”. The moment came after the conclusion of a press conference on Scottish Labour’s plans to revamp cancer care in the NHS if they win the Holyrood elections on May 7. A video feed from The Daily Record, using Press Association cameras, showed Sarwar wrapping up answering the media’s questions before addressing the photographers in the room. READ MORE: Fire chief accuses Anas Sarwar of spreading ‘inaccurate’ information after fire “You guys happy? Did you get my stroke pose, that you wanted?” he asked. An off-camera journalist can be heard to reply “What?”, leading Sarwar to go on: “I’m winding … award-winning photographer Jane … a picture I saw online, it looked like I’d had a stroke.” The audience could be heard to groan in response. Then, Sarwar appears to be told that the camera is still rolling, to which he responds: "Oh is it? You're not going to use that Neil, come on." The charity Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland said that “for every person in Scotland whose life has been turned upside down by stroke, today’s comment from Anas Sarwar was deeply disappointing”. “Stroke is not a punchline or a ‘pose’,” a spokesperson went on. “It is a life-threatening medical emergency that has lasting physical, emotional and social impact on individuals and the people who care about them. A stroke is when blood stops flowing to a part of the brain and can be life-threatening. Strokes can affect things like speech and movement, and take a long time to recover. The charity said that more than 11,000 people in Scotland have a stroke each year and it remains one of the leading causes of disability, adding: “Families across the country sit beside hospital beds, support long, difficult rehabilitation journeys, and watch loved ones adapt to the reality of recovery. To diminish that experience, especially from someone who has just called for major healthcare reform, which for stroke is badly needed, shows a worrying lack of understanding of what stroke truly means. READ MORE: Kemi Badenoch under fire after Tory's anti-Muslim claims praised by Tommy Robinson “The words we use about health conditions shape how society understands and respects the people living with them. We strongly recommend that anyone in public office take the time to understand the seriousness of major health conditions before speaking about them. “Our ask goes beyond an apology. We would welcome the opportunity to provide Mr Sarwar and his team with an in-person briefing, access to our stroke information resources, and training to ensure comments like today’s are never repeated." SNP MSP Emma Harper said the Scottish Labour leader “should be ashamed of himself”. “A joke at the expense of stroke survivors is beyond the pale,” she went on. "Today has revealed to the Scottish public what Anas Sarwar is like when he thinks the cameras are off – his true colours have brought shame to our parliament, to the Labour Party and to Scottish public life. “He must now, without delay, apologise to stroke survivors and their families." A spokesperson for the Scottish Labour leader said: “Anas Sarwar wants to offer an unreserved apology for today’s comments.” It is understood that Sarwar will meet with Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland.