Calls for Hezbollah to be banned ‘in its entirety’

Calls have been made for Hezbollah to be proscribed “in its entirety” after flags of the terror group were openly waved in London yesterday.

Britain currently bans the paramilitary wing but not the political wing – despite leaders of the group publicly sating they are one in the same thing.

Organisers of the annual Al Quds Parade through central London encouraged supporters to bring Hezbollah flags but no arrests were made. Despite both wings sharing the same flag – featuring a rifle – a disclaimer was pinned to the yellow flags suggesting they were ‘in support of the political wing’.

Conservative Friends of Israel’s Honorary President Lord Polak has written to Home Secretary Amber Rudd to express concern at the scenes on London’s streets.

He said the Hezbollah flags “cause great distress to many in the UK” and called on the Metropolitan Police to charge those found in “direct contravention” of Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Lord Polak says: “Separating Hezbollah into ‘military’ and ‘political’ wings is both untenable and an artificial exercise. In the wake of several deadly terror attacks against civilians in this country, is it not time that the UK demonstrates its commitment to combatting extremism by joining our important allies in proscribing the terror group in its entirety?” America and the Arab League are among those to have already proscribed the group in its entirety.