Suella Braverman expects the police to “use the full force of the law” against displays of support for Hamas after an escalation of attacks on Israel’s borders, she wrote on Sunday morning.
The home secretary’s comments came after videos emerged of people in the UK appearing to celebrate after Palestinian militants from the blockaded Gaza Strip launched a surprise attack and seized dozens of hostages.
Metropolitan police patrols have been increased in areas of north London where many members of the UK’s Jewish community are based.
The force was also urged to intervene by the immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, who shared a video posted on social media by the television personality Rachel Riley.
Riley posted on X on Saturday saying she passed two cars in west London driving with Palestinian flags flying from each window, “seemingly celebrating like they were having a party”.
She later posted a video that showed people in Acton waving Palestinian flags, beeping car horns and clapping. “Most people understand this is an abomination. No one should cheer war and death,” she wrote.
Braverman posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday morning, saying: “Whenever Israel is attacked, Islamists and other racists use Israeli defensive measures as a pretext to stir up hatred against British Jews.
“Yesterday I spoke with CST-UK (the Community Security Trust) to ensure the government is doing everything necessary for the protection of our Jewish communities.
“There must be zero tolerance for antisemitism or glorification of terrorism on the streets of Britain.
“I expect the police to use the full force of the law against displays of support for Hamas, other proscribed terrorist groups or attempts to intimidate British Jews.”
The barrister Charlotte Proudman also posted a video of a car with Palestinian flags sounding its horn. She wrote: “Celebrating the murders and kidnapping of Israelis is quite possibly the most heinous act of public hate I have seen on the streets of London.”
In a statement, Scotland Yard said: “We are aware of a number of incidents, including those that have been shared on social media, in relation to the ongoing conflict in Israel and the border with Gaza.
“The Met has increased policing patrols across parts of London in order to provide a visible presence and reassurance to our communities.
“We remain in contact with partners and community leaders to listen to any concerns. Anyone who experiences threatening behaviour or is worried about their safety is urged to contact police.
“We are aware that the ongoing conflict may lead to protests over the coming days. We will ensure that an appropriate policing plan is in place in order to balance the right to protest against any disruption to Londoners.”
A group called the Palestine Solidarity Campaign has called for people to attend an “emergency” demonstration on Monday outside the Israeli embassy.
Braverman’s warnings come at the start of Labour’s conference, and after decades of internal party rows over how to approach the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Four days ago, Labour removed the phrase “end apartheid” from the advertised title of a Palestine Solidarity Campaign event, LabourList revealed. Whether Israel’s treatment of Palestinians can be compared to the treatment of black people in South Africa remains a significant point of debate among Labour supporters.
On Sunday, Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said there was “no justification” for the attack on Israel, arguing that Hamas had deliberately pushed back the prospect of a peace deal.
He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “This is an appalling attack on Israel, a terrorist attack, for which there is no justification. The perpetrators of this have deliberately pushed back the prospect of peace agreements.”
Starmer said he spoke to the leader of the Israeli Labor party, Merav Michaeli, on Saturday night. “As we were on the phone, the siren went off and she had to go down into her shelter, taking her papers with her,” he said. “So it’s an appalling act of terrorism. It needs to be called out across the world.”
