Mick Hartley

Suella Braverman has called the pro-Palestinian demonstrations "hate marches", prompting the usual howls of outrage. But was she wrong?

Jake Wallis Simons in the Spectator:

Look at the slogans that were shouted at the rallies, the behaviour of the mob. From the river to the sea, we want to, well, obliterate the Jewish state. From London to Gaza, globalise the intifada: more suicide bombs on our streets, please. Calls for jihad. The chanting of ancient Koranic slogans recalling the massacre of the Jews. The ordinary people at these rallies – whose sympathy for Israeli innocents were quickly eclipsed by the old arguments – have been unwitting enablers.

Much has been made of the fact that the marches have largely been peaceful, aside from the assault of a police officer and a relatively small number of violent altercations. But this is only because Jews and Israel supporters were so intimidated that they cleared out of their way.

I know of a Jewish family living in central London who vacated their home in order to avoid being targeted. Perhaps they had seen the video of a brave Iranian activist flying the Israeli flag who was pursued by the mob before being protected by the police. The activist said a man who threatened to cut his head was found carrying a knife.

This is the bile that flows through the marches every weekend, largely unchallenged by police and unopposed by the silent majority of Britons who have no truck with jihadism. But it flows through an apparatus that comes, I’m afraid, from Hamas. In recent weeks, the Jewish Chronicle and other outlets have revealed how many of the groups organising the marches are involved with people who have had links with Hamas. Many have travelled to Gaza in the past to meet Hamas’s leaders.

This is a proscribed criminal organisation in Britain and supporting it in any way is illegal. Yet these marches continue to take place. The framework of the rallies seems to be an extremist one, their most fanatical attendees are extremists, and even among the less virulent majority, extremism is not condemned but tolerated.

Let us be clear. Supporting the Palestinians does not need to look like this. Is it possible to seriously challenge the Home Secretary’s description?