Rishi Sunak Gives Shut Up Call to “Jihad” Chants At UK’s Pro-Palestine Rallies

In response to demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas conflict in London, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Belfast, as well as in support of Palestinians, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has denounced anti-Semitism in the country.

Calls for jihad pose a threat to both the Jewish community and the democratic values of the United Kingdom, as stressed by Sunak. He stated that antisemitism will never be tolerated in the country and expects the police to take necessary action to tackle extremism head-on.

Five officers were minorly injured during the demonstrations, according to the Met Police in London, which also reported isolated incidents of disorder and hate speech. They also watched a video of a man chanting “jihad, jihad” during a Hizb ut-Tahrir demonstration. Officers with specialised training have not found any offences related to the particular video.

Sunak travelled to Israel last week to express his support for the nation and its people. He said he was in favour of Israel’s right to self-defense and to pursue Hamas. When Sunak met with Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, he conveyed his appreciation for the evacuation of British nationals and the opening of regions to humanitarian aid.