Pro-Palestinian marches have been hijacked, says minister

A Home Office minister has said pro-Palestinian marches in British cities have been "hijacked" by people seeking to sow division, as the government's approach to the demonstrations comes under renewed scrutiny.

Alex Davies-Jones said antisemitic activity had taken place during the marches, and insisted the government was prepared to approve bans where necessary.

But she said protest remained a "fundamental right" - and it was important to stress that not everyone on the marches was antisemitic.

It comes as Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis joined calls for a temporary ban on the marches, after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green on Wednesday.

The attack in the north London suburb, declared a terror incident by police, has renewed political debates about over the protection of British Jews.

The government's reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, has called for a "moratorium" on pro-Palestinian marches, arguing it was "clearly impossible at the moment" for them not to "incubate" antisemitism.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Ephraim said he would "love to see it being implemented implemented ASAP, before the next demonstrations which are planned."

He said that the marches had contributed towards a "tone of Jew hatred within our country", adding: "We are witnessing the normalisation of antisemitism, and it most definitely has not been taken seriously enough."

But Mr Hall's suggestion has been criticised by the Stop the War Coalition, a campaign group that has help organise several previous marches.

The group said it condemned "all forms of antisemitism and racism", but it was "wrong" to connect the marches to any attacks on Jews.

Police forces in England and Wales can restrict protests in certain circumstances, including by stipulating a particular route or saying when it must end.

They can apply to ban protests outright where these powers are deemed insufficient to prevent "serious public disorder", but this requires the approval of the home secretary and is not regularly used.

Last month the government approved a request from the Metropolitan Police to ban the Al Quds Day march in London, marking the the first time a protest march has been banned since 2012.

Speaking to Times Radio, Davies-Jones said the move showed the government was prepared to take action where required, but stressed it was important to balance restrictions with the right to demonstrate.

She said there had been evidence of antisemitic activity on pro-Palestinian marches, citing "chants of death, calls for global intifada, for example".

She added: "That is wrong – but people do have the right to protest the actions of Israel if that's what they deem fit, and I think it's really really important here that we recognise that not everybody on these marches is antisemitic.