Suella Braverman compares pro-Palestinian marches to rallies in Northern Ireland
Suella Braverman has been accused of inflaming tensions again after she compared pro-Palestinian marches in London to sectarian rallies held in Northern Ireland.
In a piece for The Times, the Home Secretary said “hate marchers” intend to use the Armistice Day protest this weekend as a “show of strength”.
She wrote: “I do not believe that these marches are merely a cry for help for Gaza. They are an assertion of primacy by certain groups — particularly Islamists — of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland.”
Ms Braverman also characterised alleged reports that organisers of Saturday’s march were linked to Hamas as “disturbingly reminiscent of Ulster”.
The Home Secretary was unapologetic for her previous descriptions of the protests, writing: “The hate marchers — a phrase I do not resile from — intend to use Armistice Day to parade through London in yet another show of strength.”
Labour MP Jess Phillips said: “Braverman makes our country less safe, not satisfied with inflaming tensions in London she thought she’d also light a match under Northern Ireland relations.
“No right thinking Prime Minister would stand by her let alone approve her copy.”
Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International UK’s Northern Ireland Director, also wrote: “Peaceful protest is a human right. Including in Northern Ireland. The Home Secretary’s description of overwhelmingly peaceful demonstrations demanding an immediate ceasefire as ‘hate marches’ is a shocking distortion of the truth.”
The BBC’s political correspondent quoted a senior Tory source as saying: “This is wholly offensive and ignorant of where people in Northern Ireland stand on the issues of the the Israel and Gaza.”
Earlier in the day a serving Tory minister branded Ms Braverman as “dangerous and totally irresponsible” for “fuelling” the prospects of disorder after branding pro-Palestine protests “hate marches” and putting pressure on the police to ban Saturday’s demo.
Labour’s Yvette Cooper lambasted Ms Braverman’s Times piece as a “highly irresponsible, dangerous attempt to undermine respect for police at a sensitive time, to rip up operational independence & to inflame community tensions”.
Writing on X she added: “Job of Home Secretary is to keep our country safe, not to run an endless Tory leadership campaign. If PM can’t get a grip of Suella Braverman’s conduct, means he’s given up any pretence of serious government.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described the planned protests as “disrespectful” while other senior Tories have pressured the Metropolitan Police to ban the demonstration.
