Jenrick calls for those shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ at pro-Palestine protests to be arrested
The Tory leadership challenger was asked to defend his claim of 'two-tier policing'
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick has suggested people shouting “Allahu Akbar” at pro-Palestine protests in London “should be immediately arrested”.
Asked in an interview how he could justify claims there is “two-tier policing” in this country, the Tory MP for Newark confirmed he had been “very critical” of the police previously over responses to the protests taking place after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.
He told Sky News:“I have been very critical of the police in the past, particularly around the attitude of some police forces to the protests that we saw since October 7.
“I thought it was quite wrong that somebody could shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ on the streets of London and not be immediately arrested.
“Or project genocidal chants onto Big Ben, and that person not be immediately arrested. That attitude is wrong and I’ll always call out the police.”
In February, a pro-Palestine demo saw the wording “From the river to the sea” projected onto Big Ben, drawing anger from some pro-Israel supporters who said the phrase calls for the eradication of the state of Israel.
Jenrick, one of the favourites to win the Conservative leadership contest, was immediately criticised for his comments, with some suggesting he was Islamophobic by equating the Arab saying “God is Great” with a criminal offence.
The former Communities Secretary attempted to clarify his claims by posting footage on X with a video of British Muslim men chanting Allahu Akbar in a city centre as they gathered in response to this week’s far-right gatherings.
He wrote:”‘Allahu Akbar’ is spoken peacefully and spiritually by millions of British Muslims in their daily lives.
“But the aggressive chanting below is intimidatory and threatening. And it’s an offence under Section 4 and 5 of the Public Order Act. “Extremists routinely abuse common expressions for their own shameful ends. “All violence must end. All violence must be called out.”
But Conservative peer Sayeeda Warsi wrote on X: “Every day before we start parliamentary business in the Commons and Lords we say a prayer and praise God – we say our parliamentary version of Allahu Akbars at the heart of democracy – a process Robert Jenrick is a part of. This language from Jenrick is more of his usual nasty divisive rhetoric – he is such a tool.”
But Warsi’s comments were questioned by Lord Wolfson, the Jewish peer, who suggested:”Comparing shouts on the street to prayers in Parliament is unhelpful. It’s all about time, place and intention.”
Naz Shah, the Labour MP for Bradford West, said: “This is complete ignorance and textbook Islamophobia from Robert Jenrick. It literally equates every Muslim in the world with extremism … It’s a basic Islamic saying that every Muslim in the world says in prayer.
Speaking later on Times Radio, Jenrick stood by his comments, saying If a politician like myself, a political leader who aspires to be leader of the opposition of our country, cannot speak out about the undoubted problem we have as a country with Islamist extremism for fear of being falsely labelled as a racist by an individual such as Sayeeda Warsi, then that is a very troubling situation.”
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