HOME Secretary Suella Braverman has accused the Metropolitan Police of “double standards” and “playing favourites with protesters".
It comes as a pro-Palestine rally on Armistice Day is set to go ahead despite UK Government objections.
The Prime Minister had hauled in Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley for an emergency meeting about the planned march in London, saying he would hold the Scotland Yard boss “accountable” if there was trouble.
Writing for The Times, Braverman (below) said: “I do not believe these marches are merely a cry for help for Gaza.
“They are an assertion of primacy by certain groups – particularly Islamists – of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland.
“Also disturbingly reminiscent of Ulster are the reports that some of Saturday’s march group organisers have links to terrorist groups, including Hamas.”
The Home Secretary added that “there is a perception that senior police officers play favourites when it comes to protesters”.
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has already said he believes the rally should go ahead, and expressed his anger at Braverman’s language on the subject.
The Home Secretary’s article added: “Right wing and nationalist protesters who engage in aggression are rightly met with a stern response yet pro-Palestinian mob displaying almost identical behaviour are largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law?
“I have spoken to serving and former police officers who have noted this double standard.
“Football fans are even more vocal about the tough way they are policed as compared to politically connected minority groups favoured by the left.
“It may be that senior officers are more concerned with how much flak they are likely to get than whether this perceived unfairness alienates the majority. The Government has a duty to take a broader view.”
Braverman has already described the protests as “hate marches” and in recent days has claimed that some people were homeless as a “lifestyle choice”.
Following his meeting with the met Police chief, Sunak (above) confirmed the planned march will not be near the Cenotaph on Whitehall and timings will not conflict with remembrance events.
However, the PM added: “There remains the risk of those who seek to divide society using this weekend as a platform to do so.
“That is what I discussed with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner in our meeting. The commissioner has committed to keep the Met Police’s posture under constant review based on the latest intelligence about the nature of the protests.”
There have been reports that police have identified far-right groups organising counter-protests to pro-Palestine marches this weekend.
