UK may detain anyone for flying Palestinian flags

The administration warned police that using chants and symbols might result in criminal penalties.

In a letter to police on Tuesday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman advised them to classify Palestinian flags, slogans, and other symbols displayed in specific settings as hate speech.

In the letter, Braverman stated that “it is not just explicit pro-Hamas symbols and chants that are cause for concern.” “I would encourage police to think about whether chants like, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ should be understood as an expression of a violent desire to see Israel eradicated from the world, and whether its use in some contexts may amount to a racially aggravated section 5 public order offence.”

“Context is important. Braverman continued, calling for “swift and appropriate enforcement action” against those who “drive through Jewish neighbourhoods, or single out Jewish members of the public” and “aggressively chant or wave pro-Palestinian symbols” at them. Behaviours that are legitimate in some circumstances, such as waving a Palestinian flag, may not be legitimate in other circumstances, such as when intended to glorify acts of terrorism.

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Braverman recommended that police handle any demonstrations that would “exacerbate community tensions by way of offensive placards, chants, or behaviours that could be construed as incitement or harassment,” he said.

Her letter follows a sizable gathering in London on Monday night where protesters chanted “Free Palestine!” and “Israel is a terrorist state!” in front of the Israeli embassy in Kensington. Three persons were detained during that demonstration.

While Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended a prayer session at the Finchley United Synagogue in north London, some 2,000 people participated in a vigil for Israel in Westminster.

Sunak stated on Tuesday that anyone who supported Hamas would be “held to account,” pointing out that the group was a “proscribed terrorist organisation” in the UK.

During a visit to Staffordshire, Sunak stated that the police had received “very clear guidance and advice from the government to do everything that they can to keep the community safe” and will “clamp down on any behaviour that falls foul of the law.”

James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, has requested that pro-Palestine demonstrators stay at home, claiming that their actions cause “distress” in what he called “a difficult, delicate situation.”

The confrontation between Israel and Hamas, which started on Saturday when the terrorist Palestinian organisation that controls the majority of Gaza fired missiles and dispatched commandos into Israeli territory, has had the full support of the UK.