On Monday, Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, who also attended the Cobra meeting, described the pro-Palestine protests of the past three weekends as “hate marches”.
Mrs Braverman said she would not hesitate to change the terror laws “if there’s a need” to combat “utterly odious bad actors” who were exploiting gaps in the legislation to stir anti-Semitism.
She confirmed that there was an “accelerated” terror threat as a result of the Israel-Hamas conflict, but said the national terror threat level was not being raised from substantial, which means an attack is likely, to severe, which means one is judged to be highly likely.
Mrs Braverman said police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) were operationally independent, which meant it was not her role to provide a “running commentary” on their decisions in real time on the ground.
“What the police have made clear is that they are concerned that there are a large number of bad actors who are deliberately operating beneath the criminal threshold in a way that you or I or the vast majority of the British people would consider to be utterly odious,” she said.
“We keep our laws under review. If there is a need to change the law, just as we did in relation to Just Stop Oil protests, I will not hesitate to act.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
