Democracy is threatened if police and politicians cower earlier than the mob

They are two of essentially the most well-known buildings on Earth, beacons of British identification. Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament are immediately recognisable across the World, superb symbols of a secure, welcoming democracy.

Yet over the previous few days, these historic landmarks have taken on a sinister new look as billboards for hardline political agitators preaching division and intimidation.

First, pro-Hamas demonstrators projected a hateful, genocidal, anti-Semitic slogan on to the partitions of the Palace of Westminster. Then a mob waving Palestinian flags occupied Tower Bridge, closing it to site visitors for hours.

We have turn into wearily accustomed to seeing the world’s wars fought out by proxy on the streets of our capital metropolis. London has by no means been a sea of tranquility. In latest a long time there have been armed sieges on the Iranian and Libyan embassies, marches towards each battle from Vietnam to Afghanistan. We’ve survived IRA and Islamist bombing campaigns.

On the home entrance, we’ve skilled ballot tax and race riots, rowdy demonstrations towards Brexit, nuclear weapons and the closure of coal mines.

As a nation, we’ve prided ourselves on our tolerance of protest. But ever for the reason that mass slaughter of innocents in Israel on October 7 final yr, that tolerance has been stretched to breaking level.

Islamist militants and Far Left headbangers have gone approach past the bounds of decency and legality in assist of Palestine/Hamas. Most weekends, the streets of Central London now resemble one thing out of downtown Tehran.

British Jews reside in worry, justifiably. Security has been stepped up at faculties and synagogues. Some imbecile even defaced the statue of the much-loved Jewish pop singer Amy Winehouse, who died on the age of simply 27. What the hell has she bought to do with the preventing in Gaza?

Members of Parliament have been compelled to make use of bodyguards. MPs’ houses and households are being focused.

As we noticed final week, Parliamentary process and propriety has turn into distorted by Israel’s battle of self-defence in Gaza. Politicians and the police are cowering earlier than the mob.

When information broke on Mail Online concerning the ‘occupation’ of Tower Bridge on the weekend, the story started: ‘Police have taken to Twitter . . .’ which nearly sums up the pathetic, craven response of the forces of legislation and order to those protests.

That was the City of London constabulary, however repeatedly the a lot bigger Met police have stood again and watched as demonstrators have spewed hatred towards all Jews, not simply the State of Israel.

Commissioner Mark Rowley, a serious disappointment as London’s police chief, continues to fall again on the lame excuse that he doesn’t have the authorized powers to intervene.

It’s the identical purpose he provides for letting XR and Just Stop Oil nutjobs deliver chaos to the streets. Yet when the Government handed emergency laws beefing up the legislation and giving him the facility he requested, he nonetheless refused to make use of it.

The legislation governing ‘hate crime’ is specific. A hate crime is something which any affordable individual considers to be motivated by hatred of a selected particular person or group. Yet in accordance with Rowley, that doesn’t embody calling for a complete race to be erased from the face of the Earth and projecting it on to Big Ben.

Still, that hasn’t prevented his officers threatening to arrest a Christian preacher singing hymns in Oxford Street. Or turning again a Jewish van driver displaying posters of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas.

Contrast the kid-gloves remedy of pro-Hamas hatemongers with the keenness the Met displayed when cracking the heads of Countryside Alliance marchers a number of years in the past.

Yet even with the safety of MPs and their households underneath risk, the political class nonetheless contrive, as I wrote final week, to make the human tragedy in Gaza and the anarchy unfolding on British streets all about them.

Yesterday’s headlines featured Labour clamouring for the scalp of former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson, who made some injudicious remarks blaming London mayor Sadiq ‘Genghis’ Khan for handing over management of the town to Islamists.

For what it’s price, I don’t agree with Anderson. Khan isn’t in thrall to Islamists particularly, any greater than another part of his electoral rainbow alliance. He’s a cynical two-bob chancer and all the things he does is for the better good thing about himself.

Yes, there are a lot of extra Muslim than Jewish votes in London. But whereas Genghis may nominally be in command of policing, the true dereliction of obligation is on the a part of Rowley, who runs the Met, and his senior commanders.

None of that is to disclaim the rising affect of Islamist extremists on British politics. Look no additional than the forthcoming by-election in Rochdale, now twinned with the Gaza Strip.

You may need thought that one Labour MP who can be significantly involved was former Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds, who had a Palestinian flag shoved in her face as she crossed the street earlier than a gathering in Oxford. But when Dodds turned up on the BBC lunchtime information yesterday, she was extra involved about monstering Lee Anderson than condemning her personal attacker.

Hamas-inspired aggression is spilling out past London each day. In Stoke, pro-Palestinian/Hamas demonstrators stormed a restaurant internet hosting a Tory fundraiser. In Bradford, a kebab store proprietor was attacked — for promoting Coca-Cola.

According to one thing calling itself The Friends Of Al-Aqsa: ‘Coca-Cola operates on stolen Palestinian land and is therefore directly profiting from Israel’s unlawful occupation and apartheid in Palestine.’

This is full insanity, but it’s quickly changing into par for the course.

In The Mail on Sunday, Andrew Pierce detailed how fanatical Islamists are focusing on MPs in Labour constituencies, corresponding to Wes Streeting’s Ilford North.

I do know from my very own postbag how disagreeable and threatening their campaigning in Ilford has turn into. Ilford’s aged Jewish neighborhood feels more and more scared due to the tensions over the Israel/Hamas battle.

A poster on a bus cease reverse a Jewish bakery proclaims: ‘Vote for genocide, vote Labour.’

In Ilford North, an unbiased Islamic candidate Leanne Mohamad is standing towards Streeting, Labour’s well being spokesman.

She is tapping in to real pro-Palestinian, not Hamas, sympathies however utterly oversteps the mark by claiming: ‘The Muslim community is united. We are a powerful, united force of four million acting in unison.’

I don’t consider for a second that Leanne Mohamad speaks for all Muslims any greater than Lee Anderson represents the entire of Middle England.

What’s significantly worrying, although, is that the politicians and the police appear to assume that she, and different loudmouths like her, do converse for British Muslims. The Met, particularly, since 9/11, has been inclined to take heed to, and indulge, essentially the most excessive, self-appointed ‘community leaders’.

Which is how we’ve ended up the place we’re immediately, with anarchy and anti-Semitic hatred on the streets and political discourse poisoned. Our tolerance of protest has been examined to destruction.

Until now, for all its chequered historical past, London has been essentially the most profitable, multi-cultural metropolis on this planet, integrating tens of millions of immigrants from disparate backgrounds.

Our democracy, nonetheless messy, has prevailed. If Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament are to proceed as shining beacons to the world, the police and our pusillanimous political class have to get a grip of the dangerous actors and terrorist sympathisers attempting to tear us aside.

Enough already.