The home secretary has spoken for the first time since the ugly scenes on the streets of London, in which more than 140 people were arrested
The home secretary
has spoken for the first time since the ugly scenes on the streets of London,
in which more than 140 people were arrested.
Suella Braverman
has doubled down on calls for more action to be taken against pro-Palestine
protesters.
The home secretary
last week failed to get marches banned over the remembrance weekend, after the
Metropolitan Police said it had the resources to manage the hundreds of
thousands of people who turned up - as well as far-right counter-protests.
In a series of
posts on X (Twitter) sent this afternoon, Ms Braverman said "further
action is necessary" against the protests, which were resulting in
"the streets of London... being polluted by hate, violence, and
antisemitism".
The home secretary
paid tribute to officers, saying "our brave police officers deserve the
thanks of every decent citizen for their professionalism in the face of
violence and aggression from protesters and counter protesters in London
yesterday".
"That
multiple officers were injured doing their duty is an outrage."
This is a marked
contrast to last week, when she accused the Metropolitan Police of holding
"double standards" on how it polices protests.
She added:
"The sick, inflammatory and, in some cases, clearly criminal chants,
placards and paraphernalia openly on display at the march mark a new low.
Antisemitism and other forms of racism together with the valorising of
terrorism on such a scale is deeply troubling."
Some have accused
Ms Braverman of inflaming tensions, leading to more people descending on the
capital.
More than 140
people were arrested in the disorder, both on the pro-Palestinian side and the
far-right counter protest side.
The Met Police's
deputy assistant commissioner, Laurence Taylor, said the force faced a
"really challenging day" dealing with the protests.
Ms Braverman's job
is now on the line, with opposition parties calling for Rishi Sunak to sack
her, and a lack of support from her ministerial colleagues.
She and Mr Sunak
were ultimately unable to stop the remembrance weekend demonstrations from
going ahead. In order for a march to be banned, the police must apply to the
home secretary for approval on the grounds that it would not be safe to let the
event go ahead.
Metropolitan
Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley decided in this case that his force would
be able to police the protests sufficiently - leaving Mr Sunak accepting that
they were going ahead but frustrating Ms Braverman.
Lord Walney, the
government's independent adviser on political violence and disruption, is set
to submit a report to Downing Street which will suggest a change of law, so
police can apply to ban a march if it is expected to have impacts on a
community like the pro-Palestinian demonstrations have had on the Jewish
community.
Sir Mark has
repeatedly voiced his frustration at being asked to do things by the government
which are not contained within statute.
Following last
week's clashes, Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman are facing another showdown this
week, with the Supreme Court set to rule on the legality of the Rwanda
deportation scheme.
If a reshuffle
does take place, Ms Braverman vacating the Home Office portfolio could lead to
a wide reshuffle in Mr Sunak's cabinet as he eyes the election - which has to
take place by January 2025 at the latest - as he trails Sir Keir Starmer by
more than 20 points.
There is
speculation that the reshuffle could happen as soon as Monday.
But Mr Sunak might
want to keep the home secretary in place until the latest legal wrangling over
one of her flagship policies progresses.
The Supreme Court
will rule on Wednesday on the legality of the Rwanda deportation scheme, which
was introduced under Boris Johnson and Priti Patel, but hardened under Mr Sunak
and Ms Braverman.
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