NOV 13, 2023 : According to Reuters, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fired his home secretary Suella Braverman for her scathing criticism of Police in the midst of the country’s ongoing pro-Palestine demonstrations. After her Times UK article criticising the Metropolitan Police for allegedly softening their stance against radical elements at pro-Palestine rallies, Sunak faced pressure to fire Braverman. In an opinion piece published ahead of a pro-Palestinian march on Saturday, the UK Home Secretary allegedly accused the police of using a “double standard” when it came to rallies, especially pro-Palestinian marches, according to Reuters. A strong candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party in the future, Braverman had repeatedly criticised the tens of thousands of protestors that have gathered in London in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel last month.Braverman has called the rallies “mobs” and “hate marches”. According to Reuters, Braverman has a history of making contentious remarks for the police or national security. Braverman sent a warning to police chiefs on October 10 for flying Palestinian flags in UK streets. According to an Anadolu Agency report, she said that raising the flag “may not be legitimate” if it is seen as endorsing terrorism. Suella Braverman went so far as to give instances of protest behaviours that she thought might be construed as breaches of public order, such as swarming Jewish neighbourhoods, brandishing signs endorsing Hamas or Palestine, and yelling potentially offensive anti-Israeli phrases.Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in their thousands have marched in London and other UK cities, demanding an end to Israel’s attacks on Hamas. Notably, on October 7, after Hamas attacked Israel, the latter launched a counteroffensive against Israel. One of the biggest pro-Palestine marches in London since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict took place on November 11. Marching from Marble Arch in Hyde Park through the capital, thousands of demonstrators marched down Vauxhall Bridge Road, over the River Thames, and to the US Embassy on Nine Elms Lane. The protest was against US President Joe Biden’s steadfast backing of the Israeli military’s ground operation in Gaza in reaction to the October 7 Hamas attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 Israelis and the kidnapping of 200 others. According to Israel’s Channel 12, there were antisemitic banners, anti-Jewish chants, and pro-Hamas slogans during the demonstration.
