Sunak holds Met chief ‘accountable’ for allowing latest Palestine protest go ahead
The prime minister will meet with Sir Mark Rowley, the Met's commissioner later on Wednesday, to discuss the Nov 11th demo
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Rishi Sunak has said he holds the chief of the Metropolitan Police “accountable” for allowing the latest pro-Palestinian demonstration to go ahead this Saturday.
The prime minister will meet with Sir Mark Rowley, the Met’s commissioner later on Wednesday, to discuss the Armistice Day demo, which is set to go ahead despite calls from some, including communal organisations for it to be banned.
Speaking during a visit to a school in Lincolnshire on Wednesday, the prime minister said: “This is a decision that the Metropolitan Police commissioner has made.
“He has said that he can ensure that we safeguard remembrance for the country this weekend as well as keep the public safe.
“Now, my job is to hold him accountable for that.”
But it is understood that Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London has not been invited to the talks.
The Met’s chief has said it will go ahead because he does not believe the “legal threshold” for it to be banned has not been reached.
Sunak said his meeting with Sir Mark will discuss how police will ensure the protesters will be kept away from Remembrance Day events.
The PM added: “More broadly, my view is that these marches are disrespectful and that’s what I’ll be discussing with the police commissioner later today.”
Police can ask the home secretary to approve a ban under the Public Order Act if they believe there will be serious public disorder, serious criminal damage, or serious disruption to the community.
But Sir Mark said use of this power is “incredibly rare” and must be reserved for cases where there is intelligence to suggest a “real threat” of trouble.
The last time a demo was banned was when a far-right group attempted to march in Tower Hamlets over a decade ago.
Many in the Jewish community have been outraged by the conduct of a fringe at protests that have taken place weekly across the country since October 7th and the Hamas atrocities in Israel.
Rather than focusing on the massacre of Israelis and the kidnapped hostages, the protests have attacked Israel, including small pockets of pro-Hamas support, and frequent chants of “From The River To The Sea.”
Some in the community argue London has become a no-go zone for Jews while the protests are held.
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