Susan Hall went further than the Prime Minister by openly calling for more arrests at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Photo: Bloomberg/Hollie Adams
The Metropolitan Police must make more arrests at pro-Palestinian protests because «thugs» are getting away with «completely unacceptable» behavior, the Conservative candidate for London mayor has said.
Susan Hall stated that she was «concerned.» that officers can't «enforce the law» because they don't feel «brave enough to go out and do their job properly.»
Blaming Sadiq Khan for the problem, she said London's mayor «sets the tone» for policing but is «soft on crime».
She said Sir Mark Rowley would have no police commissioner if elected «absolute doubt as to where I stand.»
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have become common in London since the Hamas attack on October 7 and subsequent Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip.
There was significant criticism of the Met's handling of the events. Posters with anti-Semitic slogans and images are often seen at marches, and protesters have also used controversial slogans such as «from the river to the sea», which some people interpret as a call for the destruction of Israel as a state.< /p>'Use the powers& #39;
In recent weeks, Rishi Sunak has called on officers to “use the powers they have” to maintain public trust and to “not just manage these protests, but control them.”
p>However, Ms Hall went further than the Prime Minister by openly calling for more arrests. Asked whether the Met should be more willing to detain protesters who cross the line, she replied: “100 per cent.”
She added: “I’m more of a stick than a carrot and we have to be decisive because members of the Jewish communities simply don't feel safe coming to London.»
Highlighting an incident in February in which protesters projected «from the river to the sea» onto Parliament while police stood nearby, Ms Hall said that if she had been present she would have «absolutely» intervened and ordered officers to stop the demonstration.< /p >
“Obviously, I will always support free speech,” she said. “But when protests turn into intimidation, the police must step in.
“If it were me, to be honest, I would support the police and make sure they know they have my support. as mayor, and that they moved there.»
She continued: «Sometimes I'm very concerned about the lack of officers dealing with things that you and I know are completely and utterly unacceptable.»
'A very slippery slope'
Ms Hall said this included cases , as protesters waved anti-Semitic signs, causing «huge concern».
“If we back down, the officers won't feel brave enough to go out and do their job properly. And we should absolutely support them in this because otherwise it's a very slippery slope.”
When asked why police thought that, they pointed the finger at Khan. “I don’t think he hears loud and clear how scared the Jewish community is,” she said. «I don't think he understands how much the public wants things to be properly controlled… I think he's soft on crime.»
She said rank-and-file officers had been «let down» by the mayor, who «sets the tone.» “My tone would be completely different,” she said. “My tone is come out boys and girls, do your job properly, follow the law.
“[Khan] needs to figure this out. We have never had a situation on our streets go on and on like this.»
Ms Hall's assertion that officers are not currently using their full powers is contradicted by the comments Sir Mark.
Earlier this month he said: “To suggest that we are not where the law allows us to be because the law allows for reliable policing is wrong.”
“Intimidation is a crime.” Ms Hall refrained from directly criticizing him but said: “If Sir Mark were mayor he would be left in absolutely no doubt about where I stand and the support he would receive from the police properly and decisively to stop the crimes.” occurs, and intimidation is a crime.»
Sir Mark also took aim at «armchair commentators» who criticize the way police handle incidents that are increasingly being caught on camera by members of the public.
p>
In one recent incident, police were criticized for arresting a counter-protester at a march in Gaza who carried a sign that read: “Hamas is a terrorist.”
The Met said it intervened to «prevent a breach of the peace» after Nyak Ghorbani was involved in a «scuffle» with a pro-Palestinian protester and that he was later «removed from custody». They said the arrest had not been made in connection with his poster.
Ms Hall said that even if police detained Mr Ghorbani for his own safety, she stressed that «intimidation by some of these people being in these demonstrations is an absolute joke.»
“I think getting him out of the situation was probably the right thing to do. But what a shame. We allow them freedom of speech. And yet someone says that Hamas is a terrorist group, and it is 100 percent true: where is his freedom of speech?
“I will never support these thugs”
She said that she is responsible for this «small» number of protesters. for criminal behavior at marches.
“Most people want to exercise their right to demonstrate and free speech, and I will always support that,” she said. «I will never support these thugs who come to some of these demonstrations and shout 'from the river to the sea', this is completely unacceptable.
«I'm going to focus on getting them out because we can't have a whole Jewish community, most of whom I think are afraid to go to London.»
When asked whether Sir Mark had taken the right tone , mentioning “armchair commentators,” she responded: He “stood up” for his officers, but she could “understand” why members of the public were raising concerns.
“It’s not surprising that people think there’s a two-tier police force,” she said. «The fact is that some people get away with things they can't get away with.»
Mr Khan's spokesman said: «The Garden is spending record amounts at the Met, including extra pounds. 151 million in this year's budget for policing and crime prevention. Sadiq has now doubled the amount of funding he has given to the police since becoming mayor. He also funded the recruitment of 1,300 new police officers.
In contrast, his Conservative opponent Susan Hall strongly supported the Conservative government's cuts of more than £1 billion to the Met and youth services since 2010. In addition, she suggested that police misconduct against women be addressed behind closed doors and limited to just a few “bad” and “wrong” people in the ranks of the police.
“The mayor has no authority. Operational control over the police and any marches can only be prohibited by the Home Secretary — something the Conservative candidate either knows full well or should do.”
Свежие комментарии