UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman cautioned that antisemites might use the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict as a justification to incite animosity towards British Jews.
By World Israel News Staff
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman urged authorities to crack down on people who support the Hamas terror group by waving Palestinian flags in public spaces, suggesting that such behavior could constitute a criminal offense.
“At a time when Hamas terrorists are massacring civilians and taking the most vulnerable (including the elderly, women, and children) hostage, we can all recognise the harrowing effect that displays of their logos and flags can have on communities,” Ms. Braverman wrote in a letter to police.
Braverman reminded officers that Hamas is officially designated as a terror group by the UK government, which renders support for the organization illegal.
She reiterated that inviting people to join or support the organization is a crime, along with wearing clothes or symbols that suggest one belongs to Hamas.
But Braverman noted that police should also look out for other terror-promoting behavior that isn’t clearly an endorsement of the specific terror group.
“It is not just explicit pro-Hamas symbols and chants that are cause for concern. I would encourage police to consider whether chants such as: ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ should be understood as an expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world, and whether its use in certain contexts may amount to a racially aggravated section 5 public order offense,” she said.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict may be exploited by antisemites “as a pretext to stir up hatred against British Jews,” Braverman warned, stating that there is an “obvious risk this pattern will be repeated during the current conflict.”
In previous rounds of fighting, “this has included vandalism of Jewish businesses, desecration of memorials and religious sites, physical and verbal abuse of Jews on the streets, convoys driving through Jewish neighborhoods hurling antisemitic abuse, and proliferation of antisemitism online,” she said.
“Where harassment is identified, I would encourage the police to take swift and appropriate enforcement action.”