UK police should investigate those celebrating Hamas attacks on Israel in Britain for potential hate crimes, senior Labour MP Wes Streeting has said.
Home secretary Suella Braverman has said that she expects the police to “use the full force of the law” against displays of support for the Palestinian militants after videos emerged of people celebrating the kidnappings and killings.
The issue seems set to be a distraction for Keir Starmer and reignite old rows with the left, as he kicks off the Labour conference in Liverpool against a backdrop of fighting between Israeli military and Palestinian militants.
Labour MP Apsana Begum was pictured posing with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PCS) at the conference ahead of the group’s planned protest outside the Israeli embassy.
Mr Streeting, when he was asked on GB News if the police should investigate those who are celebrating the Hamas attacks in Israel for hate crimes, said: “Certainly I think they need to look at whether crimes are being committed here.” The Labour frontbencher added: “People celebrating on the streets of London, and elsewhere in the UK, have got to ask themselves, where is their humanity?”
Mr Streeting said: “To those who are worried about Palestinian human rights, [or] want to see a state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel ... what we’re seeing on our screens not only can’t be justified in human terms, and the barbarity and the fear that the families are going through, but it also sets back the cause of peace.”
Labour left-winger Ms Begum, the MP for Poplar and Limehouse, who was a strong supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, was photographed posing at the PCS stand at the conference on Saturday afternoon.
The group, who later deleted the photo shared on X / Twitter, has organised a protest to “demand Israel end its violent imposition of… occupation, apartheid and colonisation over the Palestinian people”. The PCS has also urged Labour to “confront the reality of Israel’s practice of the crime of apartheid rather than avoid naming it”.
Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting— (PA)
The Independent understands that Labour will take no action against Ms Begum, since the PCS is not a proscribed organisation and the MP has not said anything about Hamas.
Sir Keir Starmer has said there is “no justification” for the “appalling” attack on Israel. He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “The perpetrators of this have deliberately pushed back the prospect of peace agreements.”
Former Labour MP Luciana Berger was moved to tears as she received a standing ovation before speaking at a fringe event at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
The Jewish politician, who was one of six who resigned from Labour in 2019 in protest at Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, told a Labour First rally: “It means so much to be home in the Labour party because the Labour Party is my home and for too long it wasn’t ... it’s a very different party [under Mr Starmer].”
Meanwhile, Metropolitan Police patrols have been increased in London after the force was urged to intervene by immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who shared a video posted on social media by Countdown presenter Rachel Riley.
Ms Riley posted on X on Saturday saying she had passed two cars in west London driving with Palestinian flags flying from each window, “bouncing up and down in their cars”.
Ms Riley said they were “seemingly celebrating like they were having a party”, and later posted a video that showed people in Acton waving Palestinian flags, beeping car horns and clapping.
Ms Braverman also posted on X, formerly 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.”
The home secretary added: “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 Community Security Trust, a charity that protects British Jews from antisemitism and related threats, said it had been in discussion with the Met Police and government since Saturday morning to ensure the “appropriate levels of security and policing are in place in Jewish community areas”.
In a statement, Scotland Yard said it was “aware of a number of incidents” in relation to the Middle East conflict and said there would likely be an increase in protests in the coming days.
“The Met has increased policing patrols across parts of London in order to provide a visible presence and reassurance to our communities,” they said. “Anyone who experiences threatening behaviour or is worried about their safety is urged to contact police.”
