‘These are hate marches’: Home secretary hits out at pro-Palestinian protests as UK terror threat level remains ‘substantial’
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has described street demonstrations in support of Palestinians as “hate marches”.
It comes as five people have been charged after a pro-Palestinian protest took place in London on Saturday – the second weekend in a row during which marches have been held.
When questioned about the demonstrations, after an emergency COBRA meeting chaired by Rishi Sunak, Ms Braverman said: “To my mind there is only one way to describe those marches: they are hate marches.
“What we’ve seen over the last few weekends, we’ve seen now tens of thousands of people take to the streets following the massacre of Jewish people, the single largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust, chanting for the erasure of Israel from the map.”
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She said police are concerned there are a “large number of bad actors who are deliberately operating beneath the criminal threshold in a way which you or I or the vast majority of the British people would consider to be utterly odious”.
The home secretary said the only way to describe protests are ‘hate marches’
In response, Labour backbencher, Azal Khan, said the home secretary’s labelling of the marches was “disingenuous, dangerous and deeply contradictory to the right we all hold to protest”.
The number of people gathering in the capital in protest at the Israel-Hamas war over the last two weekends has totalled about 100,000.
On Saturday, the force arrested a total of nine people – two on suspicion of assaulting police officers and seven for alleged public order offences – as Gaza is besieged by Israel and coming under aerial bombardment.
Analysis: Inflammatory language plays to Tory gallery
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‘UK could be sharper in how we deal with extremism’
Two other women were held on suspicion of inciting racial hatred on Sunday morning following an incident in Trafalgar Square.
UK terror threat level not being hiked
Following discussions on Monday, the terror threat level in the UK is not yet being raised.
Ms Braverman said the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) is keeping the threat level from international terrorism at “substantial”.
The decision was made despite Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warning on Sunday that terrorism is being “accelerated” by events in the Middle East, as he raised concerns about “state threats from Iran”.
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Anger was directed towards Sir Mark’s police force after it said it had not identified any offences from a clip of a protest in which a member of the crowd could be heard chanting the word “jihad”.
The chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” has also been used.
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What does the chant ‘from the river to the sea’ mean?
Some interpret it as a call of support for the Palestinian people, and others claim it is a demand for the dismantling of Israel, with the Anti-Defamation League saying it is an antisemitic slogan.
Ms Braverman has also previously branded the chant as antisemitic and urged police to take a “zero tolerance approach”, while Downing Street didn’t go quite as far, saying it was “a deeply offensive chant to many” on Monday.
Sir Mark added that while the UK has robust laws in dealing with hate crime, there is a “gap” when it comes to extremism.
Ms Braverman said that if there was a need for the law to change, she “would not hesitate to act”.
UK
Three Iranians charged under National Security Act after investigation by UK counter-terror police
Two firefighters and a member of the public have died in a large fire in Bicester, the fire service announced.
The firefighters died in the inferno at a former RAF base in Oxfordshire, which now hosts historic motoring and aviation centre Bicester Motion.
The local fire service was called to the scene at 6.39pm last night.
Chief Fire Officer Rob MacDougall said: “It is with a very heavy heart that we today report the loss of two of our firefighters. Families have been informed and are being supported.
“Our thoughts are with them at this most difficult of times and we ask for privacy to be respected.
“We cannot release any details at present but will provide further information as soon as we can.”
Two other firefighters sustained serious injuries and are currently being treated in hospital, Oxfordshire County Council said in a statement.
Footage shared on social media shows plumes of smoke billowing into the sky and flames swallowing the large building.
Clouds of smoke from the fire were billowing into the sky last night. Pic:@kajer87X
Two firefighters and one other person died in the fire, while two more firefighters were seriously injured. Pic: PA
Ten fire crews attended the incident, with four remaining at the scene. The fire is still ongoing, but it is considered under control.
Local residents were advised to remain indoors and keep their windows shut, but this advice has now been lifted.
Bicester Motion said in a statement it would be closed today and over the weekend.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
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