Suella Braverman to challenge Met Police over protesters chanting 'jihad' at pro-Palestinian rally in London

Suella Braverman has said she will ask the Metropolitan Police to explain its response during a pro-Palestine rally in London on Saturday (21 October) after protesters chanting "jihad" were not arrested.

In a video which surfaced on social media over the weekend, a man can be heard calling for "jihad" against Israel while marching in a crowd. The incident took place on the same day as the main 'March for Palestine' rally in London, but the man is understood to have been involved in a demonstration by the Hizb ut-Tahrir fundamentalist group, which was separate.

The Home Secretary is set to tell Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley that "there can be no place for incitement to hatred or violence" in the UK and urge him to ensure all police officers "crack down on anyone breaking the law". However, Rowley is expected to defend his force - and argue that the protester in question could not have been prosecuted under existing legislation.

In a statement responding to the viral clip, the Met Police said: "The word (jihad) has a number of meanings but we know the public will most commonly associate it with terrorism. Specialist officers [and Crown Prosecution Service lawyers] have assessed the video and have not identified any offences arising from the specific clip.

"However," the statement continued, "recognising the way language like this will be interpreted by the public and the divisive impact it will have, officers identified the man involved and spoke to him to discourage any repeat of similar chanting."

On Saturday (21 October) around 300 supporters of the extremist Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir - which both Tony Blair and David Cameron wanted to ban during their premierships - protested outside the Egyptian and Turkish embassies as they argued those countries were not doing enough to help Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza.

In one video of the rally, a speaker is filmed asking a crowd gathered around him: "What is the solution to liberate people in the concentration camp called Palestine?" In response, one man can be heard yelling: "Jihad, jihad, jihad".

The literal meaning of jihad is struggle or effort, but it has also been taken to refer to holy war.

Meanwhile, another protest chant heard in London on Saturday (21 October) - including at the main rally - was the controversial "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

Braverman recently condemned the use of the chant, branding it anti-semitic and saying it is "widely understood" to be a call for the destruction of Israel. Defenders of the slogan argue it is a “longstanding protest chant” that calls for a homeland for Palestinians.

Although no arrests were made over the chants of "jihad", the Met Police has said that another incident recorded at the rally constituted a hate crime offence. In the video, two young men are shown chanting in Arabic words which appear to include Hamas and “Yahud”, which means Jews.

In a tweet, the force confirmed officers were investigating the case and "actively" working to identify those in the video. "We have specialist officers with language skills and subject expertise assisting with this operation. The actions in the video amount to a hate crime offence," a statement said.

Under the Public Order Act, a person can be found guilty of inciting and/or provoking violence only if they direct it towards another person. The Terrorism Act includes an offence of “encouragement of terrorism”, but prosecutors must prove that an individual was attempting to encourage people to “commit, prepare, or instigate acts of terrorism”.

A government source said: "The police are in a very difficult position with regards to the limits of the legislation that they’re working with."

Braverman is not the only MP who has spoken out about the protests on Saturday. Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick for instance slammed the chants of "jihad" as "completely reprehensible", as he insisted the government wants to do everything it can to "protect British Jews".

He told Sky News: "Chanting jihad on the streets of London is completely reprehensible and I never want to see scenes like that. It is inciting terrorist violence."

Transport Secretary Mark Harper echoed these sentiments, saying he backed Braverman's decision to urge the Met to use "the full force of the law" in light of the "disturbing" videos.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the incidents over the weekend had drawn attention to “gaps in the law” that ministers need to look into. He said this was particularly important now, given "the huge increase" in hate crimes over the past few weeks.

This is something Met Commissioner Rowley previously warned of when, in 2021, he co-authored a report which said extremists in the UK were able to operate with "impunity" because of "the gaping chasm" in legislation. He said at the time that he was "shocked and horrified" by the extremist behaviour which remains legal in the country, as he called for laws to be strengthened.