Braverman to question head of police for Met response to protest in Gaza

Home Secretary Suella Braverman will question Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Met, on the force’s handling of incidents that occurred during a protest in support of Palestine.

An online video purportedly captured a man yelling “jihad” at an Islamist gathering in London.

According to the Met, no offenses were detected in the video, which was taken at a Hizb ut-Tahrir-organized gathering that took place apart from the main march.

Sir Mark would probably say that the laws as they stand make prosecutions challenging.

The agenda for the meeting between Mrs. Braverman and the head of the Met Police already included talking about the recent demonstrations and fighting anti-Semitism.

However, a person close to the home secretary said she will use it to get Sir Mark’s opinion on how his force handled the situation on Saturday.

“No place for incitement to hatred or violence on Britain’s streets,” the source declared.

The source further stated that Mrs. Braverman has explicitly asked the police “to crack down on anyone breaking the law.”

Sir Mark is anticipated to inform Mrs. Braverman that there is an issue with the current legal system and that the standard of proof is very high for prosecution under both public order and terrorism statutes.

Up to 100,000 people, according to the Met, flocked to downtown London on Saturday to demonstrate support for Palestinian citizens.

The protest near Downing Street was being policed by almost a thousand cops. There were ten arrests made.

Arrests conducted on Saturday during the march were connected to fireworks possession, disorderly conduct, and assaulting an emergency service personnel, according to the Met.

However, the force announced on Sunday that it was not going to take any more action when video of a man yelling “jihad, jihad” at a smaller demonstration near the main march that was organized by the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir surfaced online.

The force claimed in a statement that it “had not identified any offences arising from the specific clip” and that “jihad” has “many meanings.”

Additionally, it declared that after reviewing images of demonstrators brandishing banners that alluded to “Muslim armies,” no more action would be taken.

“Chanting ‘jihad’ on the streets of London is completely reprehensible, and I never want to see scenes like that,” he said to Sky News on Sunday.

However, the minister acknowledged that the decision to file charges was a “operational matter” for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Political sways
Before taking on the role of commissioner for the Met in 2021, Sir Mark co-wrote a study alerting people to the “gaping chasm” in the terror laws that allowed extremists to act “impunity”.

According to the report, anything that denied the Holocaust, praised Adolf Hitler, and supported Osama bin Laden was OK as long as it did not specifically incite violence.

At that time, Mr. Rowley stated, “The current legal boundaries allow extremists to operate with impunity.” “The current situation is simply untenable.”

Inciting violence against another individual is a crime under the Public Order Act. In the meanwhile, prosecutors must prove that someone was encouraging others to “commit, prepare, or instigate acts of terrorism” in order to prove the Terrorism Act’s “encouragement of terrorism” offense.

Political pressure to strengthen regulations and outlaw the Hizb ut-Tahrir group in the UK may arise from the protests over the weekend.

The position of Hizb ut-Tahrir has been a political point of contention for many years.

Shortly after the 7/7 attacks in 2005, former prime minister Tony Blair declared he would outlaw the group as part of a strategy to counter Islamist terrorism.

However, he abandoned the idea in response to opposition from top police officers and the Home Office, who thought that pushing through would increase the group’s recruitment.

Then, as leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron promised to outlaw the group; however, he later changed his mind on the matter after taking office.