London (Parliament Politics Maganize) – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned police chiefs of a “growing consensus that mob rule is replacing democratic rule.”
Rishi Sunak came under protest on Thursday for alleging that “mob rule” is breaking out in the UK after weeks of demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
The PM’s caution came in a meeting with police chiefs, urging them to get more brutal with protest powers and outlining new guidance to protect elected officials.
Questioned whether he agreed with Mr. Sunak that “mob rule is replacing democratic rule,” Schools Minister Damian Hinds refused to repeat the phrase “mob rule” in broadcast interviews on Thursday morning. But he started picking up an MP’s home, which “absolutely crosses the line.”
“We have a representative liberal democracy, which you know is not ideal but is probably better than any other alternatives available,” the minister pointed to BBC.
“And we do have, sadly, a small minority of people who strive to lessen that with intimidatory tactics, and we can’t have that. And I think that’s what the PM is saying – we just can’t have it,” Mr. Hinds stated.
“We must be able to have discussions in Parliament, we must be able to vote, MPs and others must be able to express those who elect them, and it not be about who shouts the loudest.”
The Met has been under particular objection after declining to take action over the beaming of a sign on the Houses of Parliament last week that asked freedom for Palestinians “from the river to the sea,” which Jewish groups say is a call for Israel’s extinction.
The inflammatory stunt came amid messy scenes in the House of Commons as MPs discussed rival texts calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. A Labour motion was ultimately adopted that sought to temper criticism of Israel over the conflict, which has now claimed more than 30,000 Palestinian lives.
Mr. Sunak on Wednesday also discoursed the Community Security Trust, declaring a £72 million security package for Jewish schools, synagogues, and other community centers as he attacked the “utterly sickening” rise in antisemitism seen since the Gaza conflict exploded when Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israelis on October 7.
But the PM is accused himself of disregarding Islamophobia in the Conservative Party after refusing to use the term with MP Lee Anderson, who has had the Tory whip discontinued for a rant against London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
After he evoked “mob rule,” the PM was further blamed for subverting democratic rights, including the right to protest, and for damaging the police’s operational independence.
Former Met chief superintendent Dal Babu described BBC Radio 4’s Today program: “I’m afraid
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politicians don’t comprehend operational policing, and they need to stay out of it. It is for the police officials to make those decisions.