how a pro-Palestinian march turns into a political crisis – L’Express

The conservative government of Rishi Sunak clearly displays its hostility to this demonstration, organized by several associations to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. It takes place on the weekend when the United Kingdom commemorates the armistice of the First World War and the soldiers who died in various conflicts since 1914. The British Prime Minister has repeatedly stated that he considers the march “disrespectful “, also highlighting the risks of violence on the sidelines of the event.

But despite the pressure, the police did not ban the demonstration. On Tuesday, London Police Chief Sir Mark Rowley said there were insufficient grounds to ban the pro-Palestinian march under Section 13 of the Public Order Act 1986 After summoning Mark Rowley, Rishi Sunak warned on Wednesday that he would hold him responsible in the event of excesses. The latest group to be banned from one of its planned protests was the far-right English Defense League, recalls the Guardian.

In a country where the independence of the police is a cardinal principle, the Minister of the Interior, Suella Braverman, accustomed to controversial remarks, provoked a new wave of indignation on Thursday by questioning in a forum the impartiality of the law enforcement.

This proponent of a very conservative line, who had already described the pro-Palestinian demonstrations as “marches of hatred”, denounced a “double standard”. “Right-wing and nationalist protesters who commit attacks are rightly met with a harsh response, but pro-Palestinian crowds displaying almost identical behavior are largely ignored, even when they are clearly breaking the law,” he said. she estimated in this text published in the newspaper The Times.

According to the interior minister, the marches were not “simply a call for help for Gaza”, she wrote, but “an affirmation of the primacy of certain groups – particularly Islamists – of the type of those we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland.

Suella Braverman, with strong political ambitions, is one of the figures of the right wing of the conservative party in power for almost 14 years, who has become very influential within the majority. She is seen as a possible candidate to replace Rishi Sunak as party leader if he does not win the general election in 2024 – she has already run for leadership of the Conservative Party in 2023, unsuccessfully – and could be a dangerous internal opponent if she lost her position, indicates the New York Times.

Tom Winsor, former head of the body responsible for supervising police action, told the BBC that her comments were “unprecedented” and that the minister was “exceeding the limits”. Downing Street admitted at midday on Thursday that it had not approved the platform as required by rule. Indeed, as stated the Guardianthe ministerial code states that major press releases, interviews and media appearances must be approved in advance by 10 Downing Street “to ensure the effective coordination of cabinet affairs”.

If Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson assured that she retained his confidence, this announcement revived speculation about an imminent dismissal of the minister. This had already sparked indignation a few days ago by asserting that some homeless people were living on the streets “by lifestyle choice”.

Nickie Aiken, the Conservative MP for the central London constituency, slammed Suella Braverman’s comments. “The police should never get involved in politics and politicians should never get involved in police operations. The police must carry out their activities without fear or favor and to state otherwise is a very dangerous precedent,” he said. she declared to the Guardian.

“This protest should not be stopped unless there is credible intelligence that the police decide it should be stopped. […] It must not be stopped by a political whim,” she continued.

“Suella Braverman is out of control,” lashed out the Labor opposition MP in charge of security issues, Yvette Cooper, on X (ex-Twitter), criticizing her “dangerous attempt to undermine respect for the police in a sensitive moment […] and inflame community tensions.

She also questioned herself in front of the deputies, as reported the Guardian : “Does this government still believe in the operational independence of the police, and how can it do so while the Minister of the Interior is in office? Has the Prime Minister accepted the content of this article ? Because either he approved of this or he is too weak to sack her.”

The leader of the Social Democratic and Labor Party, Colum Eastwood, for his part called for Suella Braverman to be removed from her post, describing her comments as “aggressive ignorance”.

Since the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the massive Israeli reprisals on the Gaza Strip, several marches bringing together tens of thousands of people have taken place in London, generally calmly, even if the police arrested 188 people. A sharp increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim acts has been noted.

According to Adam Wagner, lawyer and expert in protest law, interviewed by the New York Timesif the police had attempted to ban Saturday’s march without sufficient evidence, it could have been challenged in court and most likely would have lost.

This political crisis is at its worst as the Tories are seen as losing by the polls in the run-up to the next legislative elections expected next year. As in other European countries, the conflict between Israel and Hamas divides the British political class. Even within the Labor Party, some elected officials criticize the position adopted by the leader of the party, Keir Starmer, which they consider too pro-Israeli. Several elected officials resigned, including a deputy who slammed the door of the management team.