LONDON: London’s Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Dame Lynne Owens said on Thursday there will be no crackdown on people waving the Palestinian flag.
The announcement comes after UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman called on police chiefs on Tuesday to take a tough line, not just against shows of support for Hamas — which is proscribed as a terrorist organization in Britain — but also toward some pro-Palestinian displays.
“Behaviors that are legitimate in some circumstances, for example the waving of a Palestinian flag, may not be legitimate such as when intended to glorify acts of terrorism,” she said in her letter.
Owens said that, in accordance with the law, the Met cannot interpret broad support for the Palestinian cause as automatically supporting Hamas or any other proscribed group, even when it comes shortly after an attack carried out by that group.
“An expression of support for the Palestinian people more broadly, including flying the Palestinian flag, does not, alone, constitute a criminal offense,” Owens said in an open letter to Jewish communities.
“Of course, behavior at protests goes beyond what is and isn’t seen as support for proscribed groups,” she said.
The letter added that religiously motivated abuse or intimidation will not be tolerated and officers will take action when they see it.
Earlier on Monday, a large demonstration in support of Palestinians in Gaza gathered outside the Israeli Embassy in London.
The event’s organizers, including UK groups Friends of Al-Aqsa, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and the Muslim Association of Britain are planning another protest on Saturday outside the BBC headquarters.
“We will police them without fear or favor and I expect our officers to act where they see offenses, including expressions of support for proscribed organizations or any instance of religious hatred,” Owen said.
London police rule out crackdown on people waving Palestinian flag
https://arab.news/gyhf8
London police rule out crackdown on people waving Palestinian flag
- Decision follows UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s call for ‘tough line’ on shows of support for Hamas
Albanese announces bravery award for heroes of Bondi antisemitic attack
- The proposed honors would recognize those who are nominated and recommended for bravery or meritorious awards under the existing Australian Honors and Awards system for their actions during and after the attack
NEWCASTLE: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans Thursday for a national bravery award to recognize civilians and first responders who confronted “the worst of evil” during an antisemitic terror attack that left 15 dead and has cast a heavy shadow over the nation’s holiday season.
Albanese said he plans to establish a special honors system for those who placed themselves in harms way to help during the attack on a beachside Hanukkah celebration, like Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian Muslim who disarmed one of the assailants before being wounded himself.
Sajid Akram, who was killed by police during the Dec. 14 attack, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram are accused of perpetrating Australia’s worst massacre since 1996.
Speaking at a press conference after a Christmas Day lunch at a charitable foundation in Sydney, Albanese described a Christmas defined by a sharp contrast between extremist violence and the “best of humanity.”
“This Christmas is a different one because of the anti-terror and the terrorist attack motivated by Daesh and antisemitism,” Albanese said. “But at the same time as we have seen the worst of humanity, we have seen the bravery and kindness and compassion ... from those who rushed to danger.”
The proposed honors would recognize those who are nominated and recommended for bravery or meritorious awards under the existing Australian Honors and Awards system for their actions during and after the attack.
’Difficult fortnight’
Just a day after pushing through the country’s toughest firearm laws, New South Wales state leader Chris Minns issued a plea for national solidarity, urging Australians to support their Jewish neighbors during what he described as a fortnight of “heartbreak and pain.”
“Everybody in Australia needs to wrap their arms around them and lift them up,” Minns said at the same press conference Thursday. “I want them to know that Australians have got their back. We’re in their corner and we’re going to help them get through this.”
Tougher gun laws
The gun reforms which passed through the New South Wales state legislature on Christmas Eve include capping individual gun ownership at four and reclassifying high-risk weapons like pump-action firearms.
The legislation also tightens licensing by reducing permit terms to two years, restricting ownership to Australian citizens, and removing the review pathway for license denials.
“Gun reform alone will not solve hatred or extremism, but we can’t fail to act on restricting access to weapons which could lead to further violence against our citizens, Minns said earlier in the week when introducing the proposed laws.
Other new laws will ban the public display of terrorist symbols and grant police expanded powers to restrict public gatherings in specific areas following terrorist incidents.
Albanese has also announced plans to tighten Australia’s already strict gun laws.
