Suella Braverman has said “the streets of London are being polluted” every weekend by pro-Palestine marches.
The home secretary said “sick, inflammatory and, in some cases, clearly criminal chants, placards and paraphernalia” were on display at yesterday’s demo.
And she said “further action is necessary” to deal with the problem.
Braverman’s comments, in a post on Twitter (formerly X), come amid speculation that she is on the brink of losing her job over an article in The Times in which she accused the police of having a left-wing bias.
It later emerged that Rishi Sunak had not approved the piece before it appeared, leading to calls for him to dump her.
Braverman, who has previously described the pro-Palestine demos as “hate marches”, thanked the police for their “professionalism in the face of violence and aggression” from those on the march as well as right-wing “counter protesters” who clashed with officers near the Cenotaph.
But she reserved her most outspoken criticism for those taking part in the main demo calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
The home secretary said: “The sick, inflammatory and, in some cases, clearly criminal chants, placards and paraphernalia openly on display at the march mark a new low.
“Antisemitism and other forms of racism together with the valorising of terrorism on such a scale is deeply troubling.
“This can’t go on. Week by week, the streets of London are being polluted by hate, violence, and antisemitism.
“Members of the public are being mobbed and intimidated. Jewish people in particular feel threatened. Further action is necessary.”
The Metropolitan Police today appealed to the public for help in identifying some of those involved in yesterday’s march.
Police made a total of 145 arrests in connection with the Pro-Palestine march and the counter-protest by right-wingers. Seven people have so far been charged.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, who led Saturday’s policing operation said: “Public order policing doesn’t end when demonstrators go home. We have teams of officers who continue to build cases against those in custody and launch investigations into those who come to our attention when images and videos are shared on social media.”