British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was under growing pressure on Friday to sack one of his most senior ministers, Suella Braverman, after she published an inflammatory article attacking the police’s handling of a planned pro-Palestinian march. Braverman, the home secretary responsible for policing and national security, has a long history of making controversial statements that have alienated her more moderate colleagues. In an opinion piece published ahead of a pro-Palestinian march on Saturday, Braverman accused the police of exhibiting a “double standard” in the way they treat protests, notably pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Braverman, seen as a possible candidate to be the next leader of the governing Conservative Party, has repeatedly criticized the tens of thousands of protesters who have gathered in London since the Hamas attack on Israel last month. The home secretary has called the protests “hate marches” and “mobs”, despite the fact they have not led to overt violence. Downing Street is conducting an investigation into how the article in The Times was published on Wednesday after officials in Sunak’s office demanded changes to its content that did not appear.
Quick Read
- Pressure on UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Over Suella Braverman’s Comments:
- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces calls to sack Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
- Braverman criticized the police’s handling of a pro-Palestinian march in a recent article.
- Braverman’s History of Controversial Statements:
- Known for making contentious remarks, Braverman has alienated moderate colleagues.
- Her opinion piece accused the police of “double standards” in managing protests, particularly pro-Palestinian ones.
- Criticism of Pro-Palestinian Protests:
- Braverman has been vocal in her criticism of pro-Palestinian protests in London following the Hamas attack on Israel.
- She referred to these protests as “hate marches” and “mobs,” though they have not resulted in overt violence.
- Downing Street’s Investigation into The Times Article:
- An investigation is underway into the publication of Braverman’s article after requested changes by Sunak’s office were not made.
- Sunak has yet to comment on whether he will dismiss Braverman.
- Conservative Party’s Response:
- Some members of the Conservative Party have called for Braverman to be reassigned or have distanced themselves from her remarks.
- Geoffrey Clifton-Brown described her comments as “unwise” and “unprecedented.”
- Political Implications for Sunak:
- Sunak must decide whether to remove Braverman, who could become a critic if ousted.
- His decision comes as the Conservative Party lags behind Labour in opinion polls.
- Response from Police and Opposition:
- Despite calls for cancellation, London police do not see a high threat of violence at the upcoming rally.
- Opposition leader Keir Starmer accused Sunak of being too weak to fire Braverman.
- Government Officials’ Reactions:
- Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt distanced himself from Braverman’s choice of words.
The Associated Press has the story:
UK PM Sunak under pressure to sack interior minister over her rhetoric on Pro-Palestinian Protests
Newslooks- LONDON, (AP)
Britain’s interior minister accused the country’s largest police force of being more lenient toward pro-Palestinian demonstrators than other groups, deepening a political feud sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.
In a highly unusual attack on the police, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said London’s Metropolitan Police force was ignoring lawbreaking by “pro-Palestinian mobs.” She described demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as “hate marchers.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was under growing pressure to fire Braverman, a divisive figure popular with the authoritarian wing of the governing Conservative Party. Sunak’s spokesperson, Max Blain, said Braverman’s article had not been approved by the prime minister’s office before publication, but that Sunak still had full confidence in the home secretary.
Pro-Palestinian protests have been held in London and other British cities every weekend since the war began more than a month ago. The government has criticized organizers for planning a march on Saturday because it is Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of World War I, when many in Britain pause to remember victims of war.
The march is a day before the main Remembrance Sunday commemorations, when King Charles III, senior politicians, diplomats, military leaders and veterans are to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph war memorial in central London. The planned route does not pass close to the monument, which is steps from Parliament.
A spokeswoman for Sunak on Friday said the investigation is continuing and would not say if the prime minister and Braverman had spoken in the last day. Asked if Sunak was considering sacking Braverman, she declined to comment.
Under the government’s code of conduct, ministers must seek approval from Downing Street for all major announcements, speeches, press releases and new policy initiatives. Since the article was published, Braverman has not apologized.
Some Conservative Party politicians called for her to be moved or distanced themselves from her comments on Friday.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the Conservative’s influential 1922 Committee that governs its backbench lawmakers, said Braverman’s comments were “unwise” and “unprecedented”, and that Sunak must consider moving her to a different role.
“We cannot carry on as we are. This is completely unacceptable, to carry on as we are on these very, very sensitive matters,” he told the BBC.
Sunak, whose party is heavily trailing the main opposition Labour Party in the opinion polls, must decide whether to sack the most disruptive member of his cabinet, who could be a rival and critic if she was removed.
While ministers have repeatedly called for Saturday’s rally – which coincides with the anniversary of Armistice Day, the end of World War One – to be cancelled, London’s police have said the threat of violence is not high enough for them to use legal powers to ban it.
Opposition leader Keir Starmer has said Sunak is too weak to fire Braverman.
Britain’s finance minister, Jeremy Hunt, was the most senior member of the government to distance himself from her comments.
“The words that she used are not words that I myself would have used,” he told reporters on Friday.
Sunak has criticized planned protests on Remembrance weekend as “provocative and disrespectful.” But after summoning police chief Mark Rowley for talks on Wednesday, Sunak said the government backed “the right to peacefully protest. And the test of that freedom is whether our commitment to it can survive the discomfort and frustration of those who seek to use it, even if we disagree with them.”
That appeared to end the dispute, but Braverman escalated it dramatically with an article in the Times of London newspaper. She accused the police of acting more leniently toward pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Black Lives Matter supporters than to right-wing protesters or soccer hooligans.
Braverman said “there is a perception that senior police officers play favorites when it comes to protesters,” and called demonstrations calling for a cease-fire in Gaza “an assertion of primacy by certain groups,” particularly Islamic extremists, “of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland,” an apparent reference to demonstrations by Irish republican groups.
More than 3,600 people died in 30 years of violence involving Irish republicans, British loyalists and U.K security forces in Northern Ireland. Many politicians there called Braverman’s comparison insensitive and inaccurate.
Colum Eastwood, leader of the Irish nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party, said Braverman showed “ignorance of the conditions faced by the civilian population in Gaza, ignorance of the role of the Met police, ignorance of the complex history and traditions of marching and protest in Northern Ireland.”
“She has managed to offend just about everyone – no mean feat in a divided society,” he said.
“He must know that this isn’t the way that a home secretary should behave,” said opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. “He must know in himself that the role of responsible government is to reduce tension and to support police in the difficult decisions they have to make.”
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in the Saturday demonstrations since the war began, sparked by Hamas’ deadly incursion into Israel on Oct. 7. The protests are organized by left-wing groups and Muslim organizations. There also have been large rallies supporting Israel and demanding Hamas free the hostages it seized in its Oct. 7 attack.
Police say there have been almost 200 arrests across London related to the conflict, including 98 for suspected antisemitic offenses and 21 for alleged anti-Muslim offenses.
Protests can be banned in Britain only if there is a risk of serious disorder. Police said that threshold has not been met, though they are worried that “breakaway groups intent on fueling disorder” may show up, including far-right activists.
The home secretary is responsible for law and order and immigration policy, including the government’s stalled plan to send asylum-seekers who arrive in Britain in boats on a one-way trip to Rwanda.
Braverman, a 43-year-old lawyer, has become a leader of the party’s populist wing by advocating ever-tougher curbs on migration and a war on human rights protections, liberal social values and what she has called the “tofu-eating wokerati.”
Critics say Braverman is trying to position herself for a party leadership contest that could come if the Conservatives lose power in an election expected next year. Opinion polls for months have put the party 15 to 20 points behind Labour.
Countries around the world have grappled with how to handle the strong emotions stirred by the Middle East conflict. France’s interior minister last month issued an order to local authorities nationwide to ban pro-Palestinian protests, citing risks to public order. France’s highest administrative authority overturned the blanket ban a week later and said decisions should be made locally, based on risks to public order.
Since then, France has seen several pro-Palestinian protests, some authorized and peaceful, some banned and quickly dispersed by police.
