Challenge to Starmer’s call to ban some pro-Palestinian protests

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a backlash after calling for some pro-Palestinian protests to be banned as part of a crackdown on anti-Semitism.

The Prime Minister suggested there were “cases” where it was appropriate to prevent such protests on the streets of the UK – as has been the case in France – as he said he would fight “with all his might” for a diverse and tolerant Britain after a series of attacks on Jewish communities in recent weeks, including the Golders Green terror attack.

But even his government’s own independent adviser on anti-Semitism said it would be “unconscionable” to ban peaceful pro-Palestinian protests opposing Israel’s actions in the Middle East.

Lord Mann led a chorus of voices rallying behind the idea, including Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who accused the Labor leader of threatening “further authoritarian restrictions on peaceful protests”.

Sir Keir’s independent adviser on terrorism, Jonathan Hall, called for a pause in pro-Palestinian marches this week, as did Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who said they had contributed to a “tone of hatred towards Jews”.

Lord Mann said The Independent: “There are several small anti-Israeli (or similar) demonstrations every week. Usually involving a small number of people.

“If they are not calling for violence… then it is unconscionable in a democracy that such a concept could be carried out. The safety and security of the Jewish community requires strong and effective leadership, not gestures.”

Mr Polanski accused the prime minister of “using the pain and fear of the Jewish people to threaten new authoritarian restrictions on peaceful protests”.

“This would be the worst response to the Golders Green attacks and would only lead to more division, when it is the responsibility of responsible leaders to bring people together,” he added.

Meanwhile, his Labor counterpart Shami Chakrabarti, former director of Liberty, the civil liberties and human rights group, warned: “It is entirely reasonable for political leaders to call for sensitivity and restraint during protests in the wake of terrorist violence and the fear it engenders. But it is another thing entirely to equate protest with violence or further suppress peaceful dissent.”

“I urge the government to lead by example and demonstrate the balanced judgment it recommends to others. »

Organizers of pro-Palestinian marches also hit back against the prime minister.

Protest group Defend Our Juries responded to Sir Keir’s comments on X (Twitter) by saying: “End genocide, not our freedoms to oppose it. »

John Rees, co-founder and national convener of the Stop The War coalition, warned against attacking “the roots of freedom of assembly and freedom of expression” in the UK.

Police in England and Wales can restrict protests and even ban them altogether in certain circumstances.

The row comes as the head of the Metropolitan Police warned that British Jews face the greatest threat ever seen following the terror attack in north-west London.

Sir Mark Rowley said Jews faced a “horrible Venn diagram” of hatred from all sides. When asked if the threat to the Jewish community was greater than it has ever been, he said polls suggesting the prevalence of anti-Semitic views showed that “it must be true” in an interview with The times.

The terror threat in Britain has been raised to “severe”, meaning authorities believe an attack in the UK is “highly likely” within the next six months, following the murder of two Jewish men in north London.

Sir Keir’s call came in an interview with BBC Radio 4 Today just days after he was heckled during a visit to Golders Green, where he was greeted by a group of protesters holding placards and chanting: “Keir Starmer, Jew Harmer”.

Asked whether he wanted to quell the chants or stop some protests altogether, Sir Keir told the BBC: “I certainly think of the former, and I think there are cases for the latter. »

He said he wanted “tougher action” on certain elements of the marches. “I don’t want to get involved in operational policing, but I think when you see, when you hear some of these slogans, ‘globalize the Intifada’ is the one I would choose, then clearly there should be tougher action on that,” he said.

He continued: “Regarding the repeated nature of the marches, many members of the Jewish community have said to me ‘it’s the repeated nature, it’s the cumulative effect.’ Now I accept that, which is why we intend to deal with the cumulative effects.”

He urged “some people who are protesting to just think about what the Jewish community is going through and the overall impact it has.” The prime minister also called for a “whole-of-society response,” saying “too many people don’t see anti-Semitism or don’t want to see it.”

He said: “We all have to fight for this together because this is the type of country we want to live in. I want to live in the Britain that I love, which is a decent, tolerant, live and let live, diverse Britain. But that is being challenged now in a way that it has never been challenged in my lifetime.

“We must fight for the Britain we believe in, with these values. This is who we are. This is what it means to be British. And I will fight for that with every breath.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the interview showed the prime minister “didn’t seem to know what to do” about anti-Semitism in the wake of the terror attack.

“There are things we can do,” she added. “We can ban the hate preachers from this country, keep them out. We can withdraw visas from those who are not British and who spread hatred and anti-Semitism here. But we must do more. Enough of the platitudes, we must act. We must shame those who think anti-Semitism is acceptable.”

Lord Walney, a former government adviser on political violence, said: “The Prime Minister appears committed and sincere, but he is not proposing anything different. He must stop refusing legislative changes that would genuinely reduce the damage caused by these hate-infested marches.”

But your party chair, Jenn Forbes, said her party condemns “all attempts to link the security of Jewish communities to restrictions on protests in support of Palestine.”

The Golders Green stabbings are the latest in a series of attacks on Jewish sites since the start of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s war on Iran and have sparked accusations that the British government has not done enough to combat anti-Semitism.

Heaton Park Synagogue in Greater Manchester was the target of a terrorist attack in October last year. In March, four Jewish community ambulances were set on fire in Golders Green. There was also an attempted arson attack at the Finchley Reform synagogue in north London, among others.

On Friday, Sir Mark called for 300 more police officers to tackle growing anti-Semitism in the UK. He also said he was considering using police powers to curb two upcoming protests in London later in May – one a pro-Palestinian march and the other a rally led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.