A human rights group said the British prime minister’s comments were troubling.
At a meeting of police chiefs on Wednesday, Mr. Sunaks said that “violent and intimidating behavior is increasingly being observed” aimed at “suppressing free debate and preventing elected representatives from doing their jobs.”
“There is a growing consensus that democratic governance is being replaced by mob rule,” he said, according to a transcript released by the prime minister’s office. “And we all need to change that urgently together.”
Amnesty International’s Tom Southerden said on Thursday that talk of mob rule “highlights the issue and risks undermining rights to peaceful protest”.
Almost every week, hundreds of thousands of people gather in central London to demand a ceasefire in the conflict, which has already killed more than 30,000 people, according to the Health Ministry of the Islamist group Hamas. Palestinians. Israel says the October 7 attack by Hamas that sparked the war killed 1,160 people and took regarding 250 hostages.
Most of the protests in London were peaceful, although dozens of people were arrested for displaying signs and chanting slogans suspected of supporting Hamas, which is banned in the UK.
Jewish organizations and many lawmakers say the mass march is frightening for Jews living in London, although members of the Jewish community are also taking part in rallies calling for a truce.
Disagreements over the Gaza conflict have rocked British politics. Some lawmakers say they fear for their safety following receiving threats over their stance on the war. Reports of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim attacks in Britain have increased since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which prompted the Jewish state to launch an invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Last week’s House of Commons debate on a call for a ceasefire descended into chaos following allegations that the speaker of parliament broke parliamentary rules in response to pressure from pro-Palestinian activists.
On Saturday, Mr Sunak suspended Conservative lawmaker Lee Anderson from the party for saying that London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is Muslim, was controlled by Islamists and had allowed them to take over the city.
This month, pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested outside the home of a Conservative lawmaker, while environmental activists targeted Sunak’s family home in northern England.
The Prime Minister met with police chiefs following announcing the 31 million A £37m (€37m) fund to boost security for lawmakers following politicians report threats and intimidation regarding war.
The debate comes following several years of attempts by the Conservative government to clamp down on peaceful protests. It passed new laws on public disorder, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and gave police more powers to crack down on protests deemed disruptive. Hundreds of environmental activists have been detained and in some cases even jailed for blocking roads and other non-violent actions.
“Freedom of expression and assembly are absolutely fundamental rights in any free and just society,” Southerden said.
“Protest rights have been severely curtailed in the UK in recent years, with peaceful protest tactics criminalized and the police given extensive powers to prevent protests,” he said.
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2024-04-22 02:38:22