Sir Mark Rowley, the chief of London’s Metropolitan Police, has attributed gaps in the law as the reason why the police did not take action over chants of “jihad” at a “pro-Palestine” rally. However, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has argued that the police already have sufficient legal power to take action. In footage from the rally, a man can be seen chanting “Jihad! Jihad!” in response to a speaker’s question about how to liberate Palestine. The Metropolitan Police stated that specialist officers and specialists in the Crown Prosecution Service did not find any offences in the clip. Several ministers have called for action against those inciting violence through the use of the term “jihad.”
Sir Mark Rowley believes that the current laws on hate crime and terrorism do not adequately address the ability of extremist groups to spread toxic messages online. He argues that these laws need to be redrawn to keep up with changing public expectations. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer agrees that the law may have gaps that need to be addressed. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on the other hand, believes that the police already have the necessary powers to tackle such behaviour and that any gaps in the law can be addressed if identified.
Amidst the controversy, the home secretary has written to chief constables urging them to consider whether chants such as “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” should be treated as racially aggravated public order offences. This slogan was chanted at the same rally where the “jihad” chants occurred. While the Metropolitan Police said that up to 100,000 people attended the rally, there is ongoing debate on whether action should be taken against those using such language. The government also keeps a list of proscribed organisations under review, although the specific party organizing the rally, Hizb ut-Tahrir, does not currently meet the criteria for proscription.