Visiting a Jewish school in north London on Monday morning, Rishi Sunak said the Government would do “everything in our power” to keep the Jewish community safe as police investigated whether a public order offence was committed at the rally on Saturday.
Detectives were appealing for help identifying two women who displayed images of paragliders on their jackets. Hamas terrorists flew into Israel before killing at least 260 people at the Supernova music festival in the desert near Kibbutz Re’im. The two women brazenly paraded towards Trafalgar Square.
Mr Sunak said: “Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation. It’s very clear under the law, the support and glorification of Hamas is illegal, and those offences are punishable with up to almost 14 years in jail.
“But it’s not just about Hamas, more broadly actions that incite violence or stir up religious hatred and racial violence are also not acceptable and that’s why there’s no place in our society for that type of hatred and division, and it will be met with the full force of the law where it happens.”
He added: “We’ve spent time with the police to make sure they have all the tools, powers and guidance they need to police protests over the weekend appropriately.
“It’s a difficult job, but I’m grateful to them for everything that they’ve done. They’ve made several arrests, but they’re also now reviewing footage of some of the things that many people would have seen that are just simply not acceptable and where they can they will be able to make further arrests.
“I’m determined to ensure that our Jewish community is able to feel safe on our streets.”
The Prime Minister’s school visit came after around a quarter of Jewish parents did not send their children to classes on Friday due to safety fears.
At some schools in London, the proportion was as high as 40 per cent, according to the charity Partnerships for Jewish Schools. Many of the buildings were surrounded by extra security.
Scotland Yard detectives were continuing to appeal for help identifying the two women over the paraglider images.Both were black and one was wearing a red top with a white neckline, a light blue face mask, blue and black trousers and was carrying a purple bag. The other wore a black jacket but there was no image of her face. They were among tens of thousands at the pro-Palestinian demonstration on Saturday. According to reports, one allegedly chanted: “Britain is a terrorist state.” Armed forces minister James Heappey told Sky News today: “I was a soldier, now a minister in [the Ministry of Defence]. Never once have I celebrated the demise of my adversaries. Even if those women who were wearing those stickers regard Israelis as their enemy, even if they want to see them removed from the State of Israel, the idea that they celebrate and glorify that loss of human life is just despicable to me and I’m glad police are acting. I hope that those two particularly are found.”
The Metropolitan Police recorded 75 offences against Jewish people between September 30 and October 13, compared with just 12 in the same period last year. During the fortnight there have been 112 Islamophobic incidents and offences, compared with 65 in 2022.
More than 1,000 officers were deployed before Saturday’s march. As marchers made their way to a stage outside Downing Street, chants of “Rishi Sunak, shame on you” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” rang out.
A man mobbed by pro-Palestine protesters for waving an Israeli flag was identified as Iranian dissident Vahid Beheshti. He has been holding a protest against Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in a camp outside the Foreign Office for more than 230 days.
Protesters were also expected to gather outside BBC headquarters in central London this evening over its decision not to describe Hamas as terrorists.