Braverman Criticises ‘Cheerleaders of Terrorism’ and Says Ministers Should Be Able to Ban Protests

Undated photo of protesters in Parliament Square during a pro-Palestine march in London. James Manning/PA

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has criticised what she called the “cheerleaders of terrorism” and called for government ministers to be given the power to ban protests such as the recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

In an opinion piece in The Telegraph she went into detail about the clashes she had with Sir Mark Rowley and other senior Metropolitan Police officers about combating extremists who called for “jihad” or used the “from the river to the sea” chant during the protests which began after the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 and the Israeli air strikes in response.

She said the home secretary should have the power, like the interior minister in France has, to ban protests which they feel are in danger of inciting violence or not conducive to the public good.

Ms. Braverman wrote, “Ministers, answerable to the public, are powerless while the police are the ones who technically possess the legal power to initiate a ban of a march.”

“This doesn’t strike the right balance and so a power should be taken, as in France, to enable ministers to make the decision when it is believed violence may occur or a protest is causing ongoing distress to a community,” she added.

Ms. Braverman said she welcomed the news that her successor, Home Secretary James Cleverly, is to announce new powers later this week to curb certain types of protest, including the wearing of masks.

This was one of the recommendations made by Lord Walney, a former Labour MP who was asked by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson to conduct a thorough review into countering political violence and disruption.

At the weekend Mr. Cleverly also signalled he would be introducing legislation to ban people climbing on war memorials, which he described as an “insult.”

In her opinion piece, Ms. Braverman said: “But we must go further if we are serious. Firstly, we need new laws to address the phenomenon of mass extremism on our streets. The bar is set too high, so prosecutions are typically not sought.”

Braverman Says Protesters Often ‘Lawyered-Up’

She said the Crown Prosecution Service has to prove “incitement” or “encouragement” of terrorism and she added, “Not so easy when you’re dealing with lawyered-up groups who know how to operate just beneath the threshold, but in a threatening and odious way nonetheless.”

Ms. Braverman went on, “So we need to change the Terrorism Act 2000 to better capture those cheerleaders of terrorism.”

She said the government should introduce an “amendable list” of images and chants which would constitute “threatening, abusive or insulting” behaviour under public order legislation.

Examples she gave included Nazi or Holocaust imagery, the “from the river to the sea” chant, and songs about Khaybar, a seventh century battle in which an Arab Muslim force led by the Prophet Muhammad defeated a Jewish army.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman attending a county lines raid with officers from West Midlands Police in Coventry on Oct. 11, 2023. Joe Giddens/PA

She welcomed the proscribing of Hizb Ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organisation, but said other groups which were of “extremist concern” needed to be targeted.

Ms. Braverman said, “There needs to be a new category that can catch groups such as Palestine Action, Friends of al-Aqsa or the Palestinian Forum in Britain.”

She was sacked as home secretary after calling the pro-Palestinian protesters “hate marchers” and accusing the Metropolitan Police of bias for letting a protest go ahead on Armistice Day in November.

Marches Are ‘Outpourings of Vicious Bigotry’

But she remains adamant she was right and wrote: “I will fiercely defend the right to peaceful protest in a democratic society. But these marches are not about peace. Rather they are outpourings of vicious bigotry.”

“This cannot become our new norm. We need leadership to unequivocally condemn Islamism and antisemitism on our streets. To reassert what Britain means to the world: civility, tolerance, and order,” added the MP for Fareham.

If the Conservatives lose the next general election under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Ms. Braverman is expected to mount a strong challenge for the leadership of the party.

PA Media contributed to this report.