Rishi Sunak warned of “a poison” of extremism amid tensions over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
In a rare speech at Downing Street, the prime minister vowed tougher action on extremism and called on communities to “live together” rather than “living parallel lives.”
Mr. Sunak said he fears Britain, “a patriotic, liberal, democratic society with a proud past and a bright future,” is “being deliberately undermined.”
“There are forces here at home trying to tear us apart,” the prime minister said.
“Since Oct. 7 there have been those trying to take advantage of the very human angst that we all feel about the terrible suffering that war brings to the innocent, to women and children to advance a divisive, hateful ideological agenda,” he added.
Mr. Sunak said the UK’s streets have recently been “hijacked by small groups who are hostile to our values and have no respect for our democratic traditions.”
He hit out at “Islamist extremists and the far right,” calling them “two sides of the same extremist coin” that “feed off and embolden each other.”
They are “spreading a poison, that poison is extremism,” the prime minister said, adding that they can’t be allowed to “destroy our confidence and hope.”
Sunak: Police Expected to Police Protests
The prime minister, who previously said pro-Palestinian demonstrators were being “provocative and disrespectful” by marching on Armistice Day, condemned anti-Israel protesters among the regular marches and doubled down on his call for the police to take a tougher approach.“This week I have met with senior police officers and made clear it is the public’s expectation that they will not merely manage these protests, but police them,” Mr. Sunak said, adding that the government will back the police to take action.
The prime minister said it will implement “a new robust framework” this month and redouble support for the “Prevent” programme, demand “universities stop extremist activity on campus,” and bar those “whose aim is to undermine [British] values” from entering the country.
On Wednesday, the government published a policy paper on policing protests, clarifying that protests at politicians’ home addresses “should generally be considered to be intimidatory” and protests at their offices shouldn’t be allowed to interfere with their work or cause alarm, harassment, or distress.
In his speech on Friday, Mr. Sunak said protesters “cannot call for violent Jihad,” support the Hamas terrorist group, or use criticisms against the Israeli government “as an excuse” for anti-Semitism or to call for the eradication of the state.
He also said there’s “no ‘context’ in which it can be acceptable to beam anti-Semitic tropes onto Big Ben in the middle of a vote on Israel/Gaza.” He also called on more moderate protesters not to let the extremists “hijack” their marches.
On Feb. 21, when MPs were debating on whether to call for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza, messages were seen projected onto the Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben, including “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a popular slogan originated from a territorial claim that does not recognise the state of Israel’s right to exist.
The Metropolitan police, which was criticised for “doing nothing” about the stunt, said it was not a criminal effect in this instance.
During previous pro-Palestinian marches, organised by a coalition of pro-Palestine campaigners and anti-war groups, some demonstrators have told media outlets they were advocating for the casualties of war and didn’t know what the slogan means; some said “Palestinians” between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea should be free, without being clear on who the “Palestinians” include or what “free” will look like; while some others clearly indicated they believe the State of Israel shouldn’t exist.
Following the prime minister’s call to resist extremism, pro-Palestinian protests continued their weekly protests on Saturday, this time targeting Barclays Bank.
Protesters marched from Mornington Crescent to the Barclays branch, accompanied by the controversial “from the river to the sea” chant and flanked by a mass of police officers.
Luca Salice, 67, co-chair of the Camden Palestine Solidarity Campaign, dismissed the prime minister’s suggestion that the march is often hijacked by extremists.
“Rishi Sunak is losing an election. He is scrambling,” the Italian British resident said, adding: “I don’t think our protests are extremist. I don’t see how being in favour of human lives is extremist.”
In December, police chiefs told MPs on the Home Affairs Committee that stewards in the mostly peaceful pro-Palestine marches had been “good” and “helpful,” but they had not directly reported suspicion of any so-called hate crimes, meaning anti-Semitic signs or slogans, within the marches.
