People take part in a demonstration in support of Palestine on October 14, 2023 in London, United Kingdom. Groups supporting Palestine protest at Israel's retaliation to Hamas attacks across the UK this weekend despite the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, suggesting that waving Palestinian flags and using popular pro-Palestine slogans could be illegal under the Public Order Act in a letter she sent to police chiefs in England and Wales on Tuesday.
London saw another large pro-Palestine protest on Saturday (Oct. 21), with certain people chanting "jihad," which was perceived as inciting terrorist violence.
The BBC reported that the Metropolitan Police (Met) estimated up to 100,000 people joined the march, which ended in a rally near Downing Street. Other demonstrations were also reported on Saturday in Birmingham, Belfast, Cardiff, and Salford.
The Met also reported a smaller but separate London rally organized by the group Hizb ut-Tahrir, where there allegedly was a recording of protesters chanting "jihad."
However, they did not identify any specific offenses in clips recording the alleged chants and did not consider them against the law.
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Jenrick: Terrorist Violence Not Tolerated in UK
On the other hand, British Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News the "jihad" chants heard in pro-Palestine rallies were concerning and should be tackled with the full force of the law.
He further said it was an operational matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), but the government's position was that chanting "jihad" was "completely reprehensible" and "inciting terrorist violence."
"[T]here have been arrests since the beginning of this situation," he said. "And we want to make sure that the police do everything that they can to protect British Jews."
Jenrick also said the broader question that has to be asked was that of values, adding that the language spewed out by a few of the protesters, and that officers merely discouraged the man behind the chant to repeat it, could be seen as divisive.
Other Recorded Hate Crimes
According to The Guardian, the Met also said it had not identified any unlawful placards or banners but is investigating another incident recorded at the rally which might constitute a hate crime.
Police said that two young men were shown chanting in Arabic, saying words that appear to include Hamas and "Yahud," which meant Jews.
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