London echoes with 'Jihad' chants: UK minister condemns 'Jihad' chanting during pro-Palestinian protests in London
London bore witness to the unsettling chants of «jihad» during pro-Palestinian protests that rippled across the UK's bustling capital. The aftermath of these protests saw at least ten individuals placed under arrest.
In response, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick did not mince words, branding the chants as «completely reprehensible» and urging swift action.
Minister Jenrick was emphatic that the issue at hand falls squarely within the realm of responsibility for the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The arrests that transpired were carried out under the weight of anti-terrorism legislation.
The rallies, held in solidarity with the Palestinian people amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict, unfolded across London and resonated in Birmingham, Cardiff, and Belfast.
Jenrick, during an interview with 'Sky News,' articulated his stern stance, saying, «Chanting jihad on the streets of London is completely reprehensible, and I never want to see scenes like that.
It is inciting terrorist violence and it needs to be tackled with the full force of the law. Ultimately, it's an operational matter for the police and the CPS whether to press charges… There have been arrests under terrorist legislation.
And we want to do everything that we can to protect British Jews.»
Beneath the legal veneer, the minister unveiled a deeper issue touching the core of societal values. «And there should be a consensus in this country that chanting things like jihad is completely reprehensible and wrong, and we don't ever want to see that in our country,» he added, compelling us all to reflect on the values we hold dear.
The Metropolitan Police, in a statement, acknowledged that the protests were not entirely free from disorder
