British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak denounced some events at pro-Palestinian marches in the UK this weekend as “simply not acceptable” after police arrested several people.
“There is no place in our society for anti-Semitism and we will do everything we can to stamp it out. And where it happens, it will be met with the full force of the law,” Sunak said during a visit to a Jewish school in London.
The Metropolitan Police reported on Sunday evening that 15 persons were arrested during Saturday’s pro-Palestinian march in London’s center.
Three males were later charged with offenses, including a 68-year-old man suspected of making racial remarks. The other two were accused with having an unlawful weapon and failing to remove a facial covering.
“They’ve made several arrests but they’re also now reviewing footage of some of the things that many people would have seen that are just simply not acceptable, and where they can they will be able to make further arrests,” Sunak added.
Tens of thousands of people marched in London and other UK cities in solidarity of Palestinians on Saturday, a week after Hamas terrorists crossed the border from Gaza and committed the deadliest attack on Israel.
The Islamist militants killed more than 1,400 people and took dozens more hostage.
The next day, Israel launched war on Hamas, launching a relentless bombing assault in Gaza that has leveled neighborhoods and killed at least 2,750 people, mostly civilians.
Since the Hamas attack, the UK government and police have reported an increase in anti-Semitic violence and occurrences throughout the country.
Sunak stated that he had informed members of the British Jewish community that he would do “everything in our power” to keep them safe.
He also cautioned that glorifying Hamas, a banned terrorist organization in the United Kingdom, might result in long prison sentences.
“It’s very clear under the law: the support and glorification of Hamas is illegal and those offences are punishable with up to almost 14 years in jail,” he told British broadcasters.
The Met said last week that while supporting Hamas is a crime, general expressions of support for Palestinians, including flying the Palestinian flag, were not criminal offences.