Islamaphobia is getting out of control

Freya5

Whitewavemark2

Frankly I think that the police have handled all the marches with professionalism. The fact that they have all almost without exception have taken place peacefully shows a skill honed over decades of experience.

Peaceful, only because the protestors have been allowed to get away with promoting terrorism,projecting anti semitic words onto our H of P, shouting jihad, flying banned terrorists flags. Strange how Kahn has rejected more money for policing
from the Government.

Not true, Freya, it's not Khan who has cut the budget.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced his intention to invest an additional £151m in policing and crime prevention as he confirms his final draft budget for 2024-25. This means the Mayor has now more than doubled the annual support for policing and crime prevention since he came to office in 2016. By comparison, the previous Mayor cut the police budget in real terms by 28 per cent in the previous eight years, and over the last 14 years the Government has reduced the Met police budget in real terms by 32 per cent.

14 February 2024

www.london.gov.uk/media-centre/mayors-press-release/Mayor-earmarks-additional-%C2%A3151m-to-support-the-Metropolitan-Police-and-keep-Londoners-safe

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202402/medium-473567-img-0792.png https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202402/medium-889656-img-0793.png https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202402/medium-752690-img-0794.png

Article written by a local Conservative MP

Cossy

Christianity is still statistically the biggest religion in the UK. Muslims currently make up under 7% of our overall population and is the second largest religion, followed by Hinduism.

I feel quite shocked by some of the comments on here! I live in Essex, only a 45 mins train ride from London, where I worked for many years in the private sector before becoming a Civil Servant much later in my professional life.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with many different diverse communities, I’ve met and know many, many peaceful and hardworking Muslims.

My adult children regularly travel to London for both work and leisure, I NEVER worry about them, one travels every week to London with no worries or issues.

Unlike some people I don’t confuse ISIS and Islam, just like I don’t consider all Germans to be Nazi, all Irish to be IRA etc etc.

When did we become so intolerant and such utter hypocrites? Historically “we” Brits only owned the commonwealth/empires through battles and war, insisting those people learn English and adopt Christianity because we were “educating” them.

There are good and bad people of all nationalities/religions/colours/creeds and I accept that and wouldn’t write off an entire section of society because a proportion of them are extremists.

Our govt should lead by example, their conduct in our HoC has been reprehensible and some of the language used across the last few years shocking and unacceptable.

Yes, I agree about the lumping together of all Muslims, all Jews, all Christians etc. As we know within the Christian religion there is a huge diversity; Catholic, charismatic, evangelicals, wee free and many many other sub groups. As for grouping people together, I can assure everyone on GN that Mr HPQ although a white male, a major demographic group, he is nothing like Lee Anderson.

Unlike some people I don’t confuse ISIS and Islam, just like I don’t consider all Germans to be Nazi, all Irish to be IRA etc etc.

Cossy
So what are you saying? That the violent protestors on the streets (and I am aware that not all are violent), those intimidating MPs and Jewish people, are all members of ISIS?

GrannyGravy our elected representatives should not have to spend their lives fearing an attack, being accosted when they try to help as Anna Firth was.
In your link, she said protecting MPs is a job for the police and she is right. Protecting the public is paramount too.
Sadly, there is much hatred apparent in this country at the moment and it is frightening.

Gosh GrannyGravy, I’ve just read the links you posted and it’s shocking.

My main emotion is fear. Not where I live, I have nothing to fear here, but I’ve just booked seats to take my eleven year old grandson to see The Lion King in the Easter holidays. I deliberately avoided booking a Saturday because Saturday is the day of the marches/protests. That’s called fear. We booked midweek instead.

Much hatred and it will be evident in the next general election

I find the idea that the police have advisors from any faith abhorrent.

Right is right and wrong is wrong for all people here - citizens or visitors. What is there to consult or be advised about? Don't they know the laws of the land?!

Anniebach

Dickens it doesn’t explain why about 60 were allowed to
surround the home of a MP

I'm not sure Anniebach but I don't think it's illegal to protest outside someone's house. And please don't take that as meaning that I'm in favour of such tactics.

Trespassing on their property I would assume is a different matter.

This kind of strategy by activists has been used historically. It wasn't that long ago that militants surrounded Rees-Mogg outside his Westminster home, with his (or some) children present - one even accosted one of the children... it isn't just pro-Palestinian protestors who indulge in this kind of behaviour. Personally, I don't approve of it - regardless who the victim is - and certainly believe the children of the individual should be protected. But that's simply my opinion which is irrelevant.

I assume the Police have rules on what can or cannot be allowed - and know what constitute a breach of the peace. I don't, I'm not at all clued-up about such matters.

But, I don't believe for one minute that the Police are in anyway 'favouring' the pro-Palestinian trouble-making elements, rather they are under some kind of command which has instructed them to proceed with caution because of the very volatile nature of the protests and the possibility of riots and widespread violence following any action that can be construed on their part as a misdemeanour.

And, of course, there is the fact that Police numbers were cut, drastically, which must be a factor in the equation. Just how well could they handle widespread violence and riots in Britain? It's one thing to deal with an isolated incident in one part of the country but if it becomes extensive ???

The country has got itself into a right old mess, and I think both Right and Left, for different reasons, have got questions to answer and must bear some of the responsibility for the state we are in now. But that's an aspect for a different discussion.

Urmstongran

I find the idea that the police have advisors from any faith abhorrent.

Right is right and wrong is wrong for all people here - citizens or visitors. What is there to consult or be advised about? Don't they know the laws of the land?!

When we have visited Muslim and/or Arab countries, we have always checked the dress and moral codes of conduct beforehand.

I would like to think that visitors and newly arrived asylum seekers to the U.K. would do likewise.

Urmstongran

I find the idea that the police have advisors from any faith abhorrent.

Right is right and wrong is wrong for all people here - citizens or visitors. What is there to consult or be advised about? Don't they know the laws of the land?!

So if police went barging into a church on a Sunday to arrest someone, that's OK? Equally, if they went into a synagogue on a Friday that would be fine too?

That's probably why! A culturally diverse nation such as ours surely commands mutual respect from all sides and therefore requires guidance on how to deal with sensitive matters such as race, culture and religion AND the law.

As an aside, I don't agree for one minute that politics, religion or education should affect one another BUT if being respectful of one anothers faith etc then that is surely a a good thing when it comes to enforcing the law?

Or maybe I'm wrong? 🤷

SeaWoozle the keyword in your post is respect

It has to come from one and all.

GrannyGravy13

Whitewavemark2

Frankly I think that the police have handled all the marches with professionalism. The fact that they have all almost without exception have taken place peacefully shows a skill honed over decades of experience.

So you are ok with the blocking of Tower Bridge yesterday evening along with the protesters letting off of flares.

Flares by the way are capable of seriously injuring humans and animals including blinding…

What is the difference between this and Just Stop Oil?

Not pro Palestine protestors, but far more disruptive to peoples live, and far more radical in their actions.

Casdon totally agree, as a business we send vehicles into London and across the QEII bridge daily. Stop Oil protests caused a lot of problems for us.

Stop Oil protests delay traffic, not as frightening as thousands
walking through streets many covering their faces and waving flags, yes Stop Oil climb on the PM’s house thry are being charged, I cannot recall such fear and hate as experienced now.

They have done a lot more than stop the traffic Anniebach. They set off flares at the Open Golf championship, they poured paint on a Chelsea Flower show garden, they disrupted the Snooker Championship, those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head so there are no doubt lots more.

Yes, but didn’t inflict fear

I see benefits not problems with our police (and other public services) being well informed about various cultural and faith based belief systems. I don’t want our police to behave like those in Dubais for example.
I attended an excellent course as a social worker alongside our local police and health teams. Knowledge can help diffuse situations. It can also identify potential safeguarding issues. FGM key during that training.
It isn’t about woke/p.c or whatever other offensive, dismissive words used to rubbish being well informed

I googled the closure of Tower Bridge to find that in the recent past, Extinction Rebellion, Stop the Oil and a group of ex-pat Israelis have all demonstrated there and closed the bridge. So the question is why has this pro-Palestinian march caused so much anger when the rest passed unnoticed? I think the reason is obvious.
As for the marches, I have viewed as much film of them as I can find. There are few, if any, people masked. Most people on them are not obviously Palestinian or Muslim. They are simply ordinary people sick of seeing the defenceless slaughtered.

I don't think any of those demonstrations resulted in tragedy though Glorianny? My mind goes to the awful London Bridge killings in summer 2017 by Islamic extremists. I think 10 people died. I know the date vividly because DS1's office is close by and he often goes for a drink after work in the area. The offices have since upped their security to protect staff in the building. People were scared for quite some time afterwards.

Of course 'Just Stop Oil' cause fear in people. Disrupting traffic so that emergency ambulances cannot get through, people miss medical appointments and are late for planned operations.

People afraid to make journeys for fear of hold ups. Vandalism, destroying paintings in art galleries, throwing paint at buildings, non-stop mindless vandalism. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63543307

I recall the day the bombs went off in the tube and on a bus. Two of my children - young adults at the time - were in central London that day, one at university, the other working. I didn’t know for several hours where they were or if they were safe. I was frightened that day, along with many others I imagine. That’s what I spoke about when I said fear.

And I’ve absolutely no time for Just Stop Oil either!

maddyone

I recall the day the bombs went off in the tube and on a bus. Two of my children - young adults at the time - were in central London that day, one at university, the other working. I didn’t know for several hours where they were or if they were safe. I was frightened that day, along with many others I imagine. That’s what I spoke about when I said fear.

I hadn't heard the news that day. One of my DD was working in Central London and phoned me, saying "I'm OK, I had to pop into the chemists so I missed the Tube". I didn't know what she meant until she told me. There was a news blackout.
Yes, fear.

My son was an officer in the Met told by his commander to phone home and tell us he was in the thick of it......truly scary times. Everyone else ran away from danger, my son ran towards it.