Suella Braverman yesterday said pro-Palestine marches ‘polluting’ the streets with hate ‘can’t go on’, following ugly scenes at the weekend.
The Home Secretary condemned the ‘valorising of terrorism’ on Armistice Day and said further action was needed to stop it.
More than 100 arrests were made after clashes involving far-Right groups and pro-Palestine protesters in central London on Saturday.
Mrs Braverman’s intervention came as speculation rages about her political future after she clashed with Downing Street over a newspaper article, which critics said inflamed tensions.
Ahead of Saturday’s protest, the Home Secretary branded it a ‘hate march’ and accused officers of ‘playing favourites’ with protesters. Last night, amid rumours of a Cabinet reshuffle, she doubled down on her comments.
The Home Secretary (pictured) condemned the ‘valorising of terrorism’ on Armistice Day and said further action was needed to stop it
More than 100 arrests were made after clashes involving far-Right groups and pro-Palestine protesters in central London on Saturday (pictured: the protests on Saturday)
Mrs Braverman’s intervention came as speculation rages about her political future after she clashed with Downing Street over a newspaper article, which critics said inflamed tensions
In uncompromising language, Mrs Braverman tweeted that chants, placards and posters carried by some protesters were ‘clearly criminal’ and marked a ‘new low’.
She added: ‘Anti-Semitism and other forms of racism together with the valorising of terrorism on such a scale is deeply troubling.
‘This can’t go on. Week by week, the streets of London are being polluted by hate, violence, and anti-Semitism. Members of the public are being mobbed and intimidated. Jewish people in particular feel threatened. Further action is necessary.’
In spite of her comments about the police, Mrs Braverman thanked them last night, saying it was an ‘outrage’ that nine officers were injured in the line of duty.
Hundreds of thousands took part in Saturday’s rally, despite the Prime Minister describing it as ‘disrespectful and provocative’.
Ministers are understood to be urgently looking at giving the police new powers to prevent future protests after officers said they were unable to halt the latest march under existing laws.
The new laws could enable officers to take into account the cumulative effect of weeks of protests on members of the public, such as the Jewish community. Marches have taken place in London on every Saturday since the Hamas terror attacks on October 7.
While ministers believe there is a lot police can do with their existing powers, officers appear to be nervous about using them to act on slogans such as ‘From the river to the sea’, which is regarded as anti-Semitic by the Jewish community.
Other measures could expand the definition of glorifying terrorism, or create specific offences around protesters climbing on monuments.
The law around fireworks, smoke bombs and flares could also be tightened up.
Last night, Scotland Yard appealed for help identifying pro-Palestinian protesters ‘in relation to a hate crime’, including two women holding offensive placards.
One woman was pictured carrying a placard featuring the Jewish Star of David intertwined with a swastika above the slogan: ‘No British politician should be a “friend of Israel”‘
Another woman carried a placard depicting Mr Sunak and Mrs Braverman as coconuts
The British Transport Police are also searching for four counter-protesters over a ‘racially aggravated altercation’ after a video showed them hurling abuse at pro-Palestine protesters at Waterloo train station
One placard on display at the protest showed a snake in the colours of the Israeli flag, encircling the world, which allegedly is a direct link to Nazi Germany
Hundreds of thousands took part in Saturday’s rally, despite the Prime Minister describing it as ‘disrespectful and provocative’
One woman was pictured carrying a placard featuring the Jewish Star of David intertwined with a swastika above the slogan: ‘No British politician should be a “friend of Israel”.’
Another woman carried a placard depicting Mr Sunak and Mrs Braverman as coconuts.
The British Transport Police are also searching for four counter-protesters over a ‘racially aggravated altercation’ after a video showed them hurling abuse at pro-Palestine protesters at Waterloo train station.
Rishi Sunak said he will meet Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley in the ‘coming days’ after he vowed to hold him ‘accountable’ for the march.
He has said he expects far-Right ‘thugs’ and ‘Hamas sympathisers’ to face ‘the full and swift force of the law’.
Last night, the PM remained under pressure to sack his outspoken Home Secretary following a dispute about whether her newspaper article about the police had been authorised by No 10.
But Mrs Braverman’s allies warned that Mr Sunak faced a civil war if he tried to remove her.
Her closest ally Sir John Hayes is said to have been circulating a letter to colleagues backing her and urging them to sign it, according to the Sunday Times.
Last night a Home Office source said Mrs Braverman’s statement that ‘this can’t go on’ is a reference to shortcomings in the current law on protests and public order.
‘This is not about the Met. If there are issues with the legal framework they are working within, then that is a matter for us and not for them,’ the source said. ‘It’s about looking at what we can do to help.’
The Home Office has already started an internal review of ‘potential loopholes’ in the law and the Government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, is looking at offences under the Terrorism Act.
Last month Mr Hall suggested there may be scope for a new offence of ‘having a flag that is associated with terrorism generally’ after protesters waved the black and white emblem that ‘looked like the Islamic State flag but is not the Islamic State flag’.