Rishi Sunak assures that radical Islam and the extreme right threaten British democracy |

This Friday, Rishi Sunak used all the solemnity that comes with appearing before the legendary door of number 10 Downing Street – the usual setting for announcing a resignation or an early election – to warn the British that UK democracy is seriously threatened. for extremism. Sunak wanted to give an image of equanimity, and appeared to distribute blame between radical Islam and the violent extreme right (“Jewish children go to school without uniform for fear of revealing their identity; Muslim women are harassed in the street because of the actions of a terrorist group”), but it has become clear, upon listening to him, that his speech was mainly oriented towards the protesters who, every weekend, express their rage in the streets of London and other British cities against Israel’s military offensive in Loop.

The prime minister, whose popularity is decreasing among conservative voters and among his own deputies, has decided to show some strength with an incendiary issue that, in the mouth of a politician like him who openly professes Hinduism, could end up bouncing back into his against.

“Our democracy has become a target. Municipal plenary sessions and local assemblies have been interrupted by vandals. Deputies do not feel safe in their homes. Long-standing parliamentary practices and customs have been altered for security reasons. And last night [por el jueves]a candidate who despises the horror of what happened on October 7 won in the Rochdale by-election [los ataques de Hamás contra población civil de Israel]glorifies Hezbollah and has the support of Nick Griffin, the racist former leader of the British National Party,” Sunak said.

It was a description, with partisan overtones, of the political tension accumulated in recent months, which mainly affects the Labor opposition, but which also threatens the conservatives themselves.

It is true that the British police have had to redouble their efforts to prevent dozens of episodes and abuses against the Jewish population, increasingly restless as the war between Israel and Hamas intensifies. But what really irritates the hardest wing of the Conservative Party are the continuous pro-Palestinian demonstrations of the last five months, the largest in Europe.

The Palestinian flags, the chants accusing Israel of genocide or even the motto From The River To The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free (From the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, Palestine will be free), which they interpret as a call for Israel to disappear from the map, anger the most reactionary of the British right, who ask for a tougher hand from the police. Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who was fired precisely for questioning Scotland Yard’s warmth with protesters, is now leading a movement with Islamophobic overtones that has put Sunak on the ropes.

Last week, the speaker (speaker) of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, altered the order of the plenary session to give priority to the debate and vote on a motion presented by the Labor Party. Its leader, Keir Starmer, whose ambiguity in condemning the Israeli attacks on Gaza has led to an internal rebellion in the party and the resignation of many Muslim municipal representatives, was trying to save face with a call for a “humanitarian ceasefire.” The decision of speaker It meant overriding the two motions on the same topic scheduled for that session, one from the Scottish nationalists and another from the Sunak Government itself. The anger of dozens of deputies against Hoyle’s decision, who asked for forgiveness through tears, revealed something much more serious. The President of the House had made his decision to protect Labor deputies who, as police authorities had explained to him, were threatened by extremist groups.

Former Minister Braverman took advantage of what happened to add fuel to the fire in an opinion forum in the Daily Telegraph, the leading newspaper of the hardline conservatives. “Islamists, extremists and anti-Semites are now in control of the situation. They have harassed and pressured the Labor Party and our institutions [por el Parlamento]and they intend to subjugate our country,” he assured.

MP Lee Anderson, from his same party, shortly after accused the Labor mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, of being a hostage to these extremists and of having handed over control of the capital to them. The Conservative Party, backed by Sunak, expelled Anderson, who refused to apologize. The decision, however, provoked the anger of deputies and voters of the hard and populist wing of the tories.

The final shot took place this Thursday in Rochdale. George Galloway, Labor’s bête noire for decades—he was an MP for that party before running on his own under other acronyms—has delivered a humiliating defeat to the left. With its new formation, the British Workers Party, a populist and extreme speech and a denunciation of the invasion of Gaza applauded by the 30% of Muslims who live in that constituency, it has won 40% of the votes in the by-election.

Demands to the police

“This week I have met with senior police officers and I have made it clear to them that citizens expect them not only to manage the demonstrations, but to carry out police actions. And I want to make it clear to them that, if they do so, they will have our full support,” Sunak solemnly announced. It leaves a delicate responsibility in the hands of the security forces. The prime minister asks them to respect the right of citizens to demonstrate peacefully, but to avoid chants in favor of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, or protests around Parliament.

Sunak has announced new measures, in less than a month, to increase hate prevention programs among young people or in universities; and a tougher hand, with expeditious expulsions, against immigrants who practice extremism.

“The United Kingdom is a decent, friendly country, with tolerant people. It’s our home. Let us move forward together, with confidence in our principles and values ​​and in the future,” said the prime minister, at the end of a speech that, under the guise of an appeal for harmony, attempted to wink at the hardline wing of his party and stirred in internal disputes, due to the tragedy in Gaza and his Labor rivals.

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