Braverman labels pro-Palestine protests “hate marches”
Home secretary Suella Braverman is in the spotlight ones again for her divisive and deliberately antagonistic comments about pro-Palestine protests.
Braverman described the street demonstrations in support of Palestine amidst the Israel-Gaza conflict as “hate marches”.
She said, “What we’ve seen over the last few weekends, we’ve seen now tens of thousands of people take to the streets following the massacre of Jewish people, the single largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust, chanting for the erasure of Israel from the map.”
The comments were not only criticised for contradicting civil right to protest, but also for dangerously emboldening far-right views, further inciting hatred amidst an extremely volatile situation.
Braverman has since said that any protests in London during Remembrance Sunday should be banned, and that any pro-Palestine protesters who vandalise the Cenotaph should be “put into a jail cell faster than their feet can touch the ground.”
However, the Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley announced on Wednesday that the protest will go ahead on Sunday, as legally there is “no mechanism to ban a gathering, a static protest” and “people should be very reassured that we’re going to keep this away from the remembrance and armistice events”.
According to a news conference held by the Health Ministry in Gaza, over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, and children are nearly half of the casualties.
Graphic via CNN
According the the UN, 1.5 million people are now displaced in Gaza, out of a population of 2.3 million. Amidst the devastating death tolls and ongoing bombardment, rallies around the world have taken to accusing Israel of genocide.
Protests around the world are demanding an immediate ceasefire, but Western governments have so far been reluctant. This itself has been heavily criticised, particularly in light of the immediate sanctions placed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The Israel-Hamas was, at the time of writing, is now in its 32nd day.
Coverage in the media is as predicted – right-wing outlets leaning even further right, left-wing outlets expressing support for Palestine.
Calls to sack ‘pathetic’ police chief Mark Rowley as Remembrance Day riot fears explode
Pro-Palestine rallies aren’t ‘hate marches’ – they’re an expression of solidarity, helplessness and frustration
Britain’s police have capitulated to the pro-Palestine mob
Met police will be ‘held accountable’ for Gaza march after resisting ban
Tensions grow over pro-Palestine protest on Remembrance Day: British patriots wave Union flags in counter-demo at the Cenotaph after war memorials are draped in Palestinian flag amid fears huge march could spark clashes on November 11
Tommy Robinson calls for mob to ‘protect’ Cenotaph from protesters that won’t be near it
Israel president calls for BAN on Remembrance Day pro-Palestine march & tells Piers Morgan demo would be ‘atrocious’
