The British prime minister was criticized by the head of London’s Metropolitan Police on Tuesday for the way the force handled pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the city following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
In a lecture about the development of extremism in the UK on Friday, Rishi Sunak accused the Met of overseeing rather than monitoring the demonstrations.
The prime minister stated, “I have met with senior police officers this week and made clear the public expects that they will not merely manage these protests, but police them.”
“And I say this to the police, we will back you when you take action.”
Hundreds of demonstrations have taken place in London and other UK cities in the wake of Israel’s military response to the 1,200-person Hamas attack. Since then, almost 30,000 civilians have perished in Gaza.
In a meeting with the London Policing Board on Tuesday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley refuted Sunak’s remarks, stating that although the majority of protesters were nonviolent, his officers frequently felt undercut and some had received death threats.
“We always operate in a very difficult political environment where tensions are still very high and hate crimes are still significantly higher than they were before October 7th,” Rowley stated.
“Policing is used to being criticized. But where it isn’t justified, I do worry about the impact it has on our officers and staff, and public confidence as we strive to operate without fear or favor.
“So, despite warm words, officers do not feel supported. And that is degrading their confidence and willingness to act in a whole range of situations. Not only protest.”
Rowley called on Sunak’s administration to foot the bill, saying that the cost of policing the protests since October had been above £30 million ($38.1 million) and that as a result, resources have been diverted from combating other crimes.
The commissioner emphasized how his officers’ tasks had become more difficult as a result of criticism from the left and right wings of British politics on the police’s handling of the protests. He referred to charges of “two-tier policing” made by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, according to which the Met suppresses far-right protestors more severely than anti-war demonstrators.
“At the moment, one side of the debate seems to say that we are guilty of two-tier policing and the other side says that we are oppressive and clamping down on the right to freedom of speech,” he said.
“In this context of polarized public debate, I do think sometimes that we’re the first people who can be labeled simultaneously woke and fascists.
“To suggest that we are not, where the law permits, as the law allows, policing robustly, is inaccurate. At each of the major protests where the majority have been peaceful, we’ve seen wrongdoing and we’ve acted. We have to police the law as it is, not as others would wish it to be.”
Gentle Reminder: Be careful how you use your authority and influence, be wise, and treat others with respect.
Chychy Jonas
