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The Home Office is understood to be looking at expanding some definitions in existing laws after anger at the way pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been policed.<\/p>\n
Ministers insist police have the \u201crobust\u201d powers they need to tackle jihadi-chanting protesters.<\/p>\n
But the Daily Express understands tweaks to current laws are being considered because the Crown Prosecution Service has repeatedly advised police that cases cannot be pursued.<\/p>\n
Sir Mark Rowley said yesterday (SUN) that \u201csharper\u201d legislation is needed to stop the risk of \u201cinflaming\u201d demonstrations.<\/p>\n
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner said about 100 people have been arrested at protests since the Hamas attack on Israel three weeks ago, but officers have been hampered by legal definitions of extremism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is scope to be much sharper in how we deal with extremism within this country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe law was never designed to deal with extremism, there\u2019s a lot to do with terrorism and hate crime but we don\u2019t have a body of law that deals with extremism, and that is creating a gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
A number of people were arrested in central London during a mainly peaceful pro-Palestine demonstration on Saturday, which was attended by at least 100,000 people calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.<\/p>\n
Seven of those were alleged public order offences, a number of which were being treated as hate crimes, while two were for suspected assaults on officers.<\/p>\n
Two women were arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred following an incident in Trafalgar Square.<\/p>\n
Sir Mark said: \u201cWe\u2019ve got these big protests and some of what goes on there, people do find it upsetting and distasteful and sometimes people give an instinctive view that must not be legal.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there\u2019s no point arresting hundreds of people if it\u2019s not prosecutable, that\u2019s just inflaming things.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will robustly enforce up to the line of the law. We\u2019re going to be absolutely ruthless and we have been and you\u2019ll see many more arrests over the next week or so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Science Secretary Michelle Donelan said current laws are \u201crobust enough\u201d but the government will take more action if needed in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cWe have a definition, it has been about since I believe 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we believe that the current law is fit for purpose. We have the Terrorism Act, the Public Order Act \u2014 these can be deployed in these types of circumstances where people are actively promoting a terrorist organisation or inciting hatred and promoting violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we\u2019ve seen some of that happening, we\u2019ve seen some arrests taking place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Home Secretary has been working with police because we want to see a stricter clampdown, shall we say. Of course we keep everything under review.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of a formal review, what we\u2019ve said to date is that we believe the existing law is robust enough and the police should be applying that in these circumstances.<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> Liberal elite are out of touch with \u2018common sense\u2019, writes Sir John Hayes<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOf course if we feel over the coming weeks that that is not enough, what I\u2019m saying is that of course we would (take action).\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Donelan said judgments about whether Tel Aviv has obeyed international law in its retaliation \u201cwill be made in due course, based on all of the evidence\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a fast-paced environment, things are happening that we aren\u2019t even aware of on the ground,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cThose judgments and views will be made at a later date by the relevant and appropriate bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n Britain has not set Israel any so-called \u201cred lines\u201d in the conflict as the rules governing war situations were \u201cwell established\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n A meeting of the government\u2019s emergency Cobra committee will be held today (MON) following the expansion of Israel\u2019s military operation against Hamas.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to French President Macron yesterday (SUN).<\/p>\n A Downing Street spokesman said: \u201cThe leaders stressed the importance of getting urgent humanitarian support into Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cThey agreed to work together on efforts both to get crucial food, fuel, water and medicine to those who need it, and to get foreign nationals out.<\/p>\n \u201cThey expressed their shared concern at the risk of escalation in the wider region, in particular in the West Bank.\u201d<\/p>\n Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said he has spoken to his in-laws trapped in Gaza after communications were knocked out and they did not know if they were dead or alive.<\/p>\n The SNP leader said \u201cthey are alive, thank God\u201d but have run out of clean drinking water.<\/p>\n Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran told of the \u201ctorturous\u201d worry her family felt not knowing whether their relatives were \u201cdead or alive\u201d during the communications blackout.<\/p>\n She has since learned they are safe \u201cfor now\u201d, but the attitude of Gazans has changed from thinking about where to locate for security from Israeli shelling to considering \u201cwhere do we want to be when we die?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n