Home Secretary Suella Braverman is set to meet with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley following a heated controversy over a man chanting “Jihad” at a pro-Palestine protest in London on Saturday. A source close to Braverman revealed her intention to question the police response to incidents during the protests, emphasising that there should be “no place for incitement to hatred.”
The Metropolitan Police faced criticism after allowing the man to chant “Jihad” at a Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain protest. The force claimed no offences were identified in a video circulating on social media, prompting Braverman’s concern.
The video shows the man speaking into a microphone against a banner reading “Muslim Armies! Rescue the People of Palestine.” The main speaker posed the question, “What is the solution to liberate people from the concentration camp called Palestine?”
In a separate incident during the protest march, the Metropolitan Police announced a successful arrest related to racist abuse in Whitehall. The individual filmed shouting racist remarks is now in custody, suspected of inciting racial hatred.
The main pro-Palestine march in London attracted an estimated 100,000 people, with up to 1,000 officers involved in policing. Ten arrests were made, primarily linked to possession of fireworks, public order offences, and assaulting an emergency service worker.
Despite the controversies, the Metropolitan Police stated on Sunday that no further action would be taken regarding the man chanting “jihad” or protesters holding banners referring to “Muslim armies.” The force asserted that the word “jihad” has multiple meanings and didn’t identify any offences in the specific video clip.
As tensions persist surrounding the Israel-Gaza protests, Braverman’s meeting with Commissioner Rowley seeks explanations for the police response and emphasises the importance of maintaining public order without tolerating incitement to hatred or violence on Britain’s streets.
