Limiting Gaza protests 鈥榬isks terror attacks,鈥� warns former UK police chief

Limiting or banning pro-Palestine protests in the UK will increase the likelihood of terror attacks in the country, a former police chief has said. (Reuters/File Photo)
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  • Demonstrations a 鈥榲ent鈥� for people 鈥榲ulnerable to extremist messages,鈥� Neil Basu says
  • New video shows police knocking 71-year-old woman to the ground during London protest

LONDON: Limiting or banning pro-Palestine protests in the UK will increase the likelihood of terror attacks in the country, a former police chief has said.

The former head of the UK鈥檚 anti-terror police network, Neil Basu, warned that any move to prevent people from voicing their opinions on the Israel-Hamas war would 鈥渇uel more extremism,鈥� The Times reported.

Basu added that protesters on the fringes of the Palestine supporter movement would 鈥渓ook somewhere else鈥� to voice their anger.

His comments come amid a growing divide in responses to the large-scale protest marches across the UK, which have taken place fortnightly since the outbreak of violence in Gaza in October last year.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, speaking outside Downing Street on Friday, said that the demonstrations have 鈥渄escended into intimidation, threats and planned acts of violence.鈥�

He added: 鈥淥n too many occasions recently, our streets have been hijacked by small groups who are hostile to our values and have no respect for our democratic traditions.鈥�

Home Secretary James Cleverly earlier this week urged pro-Palestine demonstrators to end their marches because they had 鈥渕ade their point鈥� and were unduly consuming police resources.

However, Basu hit back against calls to prohibit the marches, arguing that they served as a 鈥渧ent鈥� for people 鈥渨ho are vulnerable to extremist messages.鈥�

He said: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think they鈥檙e mob rule. It would be dangerous to describe them in such provocative language that is designed to have them stopped.鈥�

Politicians and policing figures have also warned of a growing risk to MPs, after several claimed they had been 鈥渋ntimidated鈥� by protesters.

On Friday, about 30 demonstrators gathered outside the residence of the Israeli ambassador to the UK in North London, demanding her arrest over alleged support for war crimes.

Matt Twist, a senior public order officer with London鈥檚 Met Police, claimed that the force would be 鈥渜uick in its response鈥� to people attempting to intimidate MPs.

He added: 鈥淥f course, we鈥檙e worried about MP鈥檚 security. Anyone watching social media would see the number of threats that MPs get, which is utterly horrid and unacceptable.鈥�

Further controversy erupted in the capital on Saturday after a 71-year-old 鈥渓egal observer鈥� was revealed to have been knocked to the ground by a group of police officers during a Gaza ceasefire protest in early January.

Lesley Wertheimer was seen wearing a high-visibility jacket in a newly released video of the incident, seen by The Guardian.

The pensioner and beekeeper, who has monitored the policing of protests since 1990, fell flat on the ground after being knocked over by a column of advancing police officers, the video shows.

She said: 鈥淣o person should be charged, knocked over and harmed by the police and then have to rely on strangers helping them.

鈥淟egal observers are there to do a piece of work as the police are there to do a piece of work. The police cannot target us. They have no right to try to intimidate us.鈥�

Wertheimer said she had no memory of the aftermath of the incident, and believes that she lost consciousness as a result of the fall.

The 71-year-old was helped by nearby pedestrians and doctors who had attended the march, before limping to a nearby emergency department.

Two weeks ago, she submitted a complaint to the Met Police, which said it was investigating the incident.

Eva Roszykiewicz, Wertheimer鈥檚 solicitor, said it was 鈥渟hocking鈥� not only that 鈥渙fficers knocked into Lesley, causing her to fall over, but also that none of the other officers stopped to check on her.鈥�

She added: 鈥淲hether you are a legal observer or a member of the public, that is scary.鈥�