VIOLENT chants made by Gaza protesters terrorising city centres face a fresh crackdown.
Sir Keir Starmer last night pledged to “review public order powers” so police can stop activists calling for a “global intifada” and threatening the safety of British Jews.
AlamyPro-Palestine students stage a protest at London School of Economics (LSE) on the second anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel[/caption]
Sir Keir also admitted for the first time that more “action” is needed to tackle the growing threat of Islamist extremism in the UK.
Speaking on the flight to Mumbai, where he will meet Indian President Narendra Modi, the PM said: “Obviously operational matters are very much a matter for the police, so there’s only so much the government can do.
“But I do think we need to have a conversation with various police forces about the way in which these are being policed and what measures can be taken.
“That has to be part of the review that we carry into what powers do we have and how they’re being exercised.
“And then the question of do any of these powers therefore need to be changed or enhanced? And that’s the exercise we’re going through.”
The move follows the shocking murder of two people on Yom Kippur and comes after thousands of students marked the second anniversary of October 7 by staging aggressive rallies and marching through cities.
Sir Keir has faced anger from Jewish community leaders and MPs for failing to curb endless “hate marches”, where left-wing activists and Islamist extremists have chanted for global violence in response to the Israel-Gaza war.
Pro-Palestine demonstrations have also seen crowds waving antisemitic placards and calling for the destruction of Israel, the world’s only Jewish state.
Under a new Home Office plan announced after the Yom Kippur killings, police will be able to block or relocate protests by taking into account the “cumulative impact” of weeks of disruption and unrest.
But pressure is mounting on the PM to go further and faster – and to deal with the rise in Islamist extremism at home.
Asked last night what steps he is taking, Sir Keir told The Sun: “I do think there are actions that we need to take and that is what we will do.
“Obviously, we’re looking at cumulative impacts in relation to protests.
“I think we need to review more broadly public order powers and there will be a series of actions that we will agree in due course across Whitehall.”
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
