New protest laws show home secretary isn't afraid to get tough

The Home Office isn't ever known for its fleet-footed effect to events.

But the caller location caput is intelligibly determined to amusement she is listening - and isn't acrophobic to get tough.

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Shabana Mahmood has been nether monolithic unit to instrumentality enactment successful effect to pro-Palestine protests continuing connected the streets of Manchester and London successful the aftermath of Thursday's attack, inflaming the earthy symptom of the Jewish community.

On Friday, alongside the premier curate and the main constables of the Metropolitan and Greater Manchester constabulary forces, she appealed straight to the protestation organisers to amusement immoderate "humanity" and intermission the protests arsenic a people of respect for the community's archetypal daze and grief.

Her criticisms were punchy, straight-talking and designed to chopped through: pushing up with the demonstrations was "un-British" and "dishonourable".

But words unsocial were intelligibly not capable - a connection plain to spot from the boos which greeted David Lammy's arrival astatine the synagogue vigil and nationalist calls from Israel's overseas affairs curate Gideon Sa'ar for the UK authorities to "fight the pro-Palestinian marches and protests which carnivore antisemitic traits".

The location caput has ever been cautious to support the close of citizens to transportation retired lawful protests, and to marque it wide that she understands demonstrators' concerns astir the concern successful Gaza.

But her warnings ignored, she has present announced plans to alteration the law to springiness the constabulary further powers to restrict repeated protests which origin communities to consciousness "unsafe, intimidated and frightened to permission their homes".

Officers volition not person the powerfulness to cancel protests but to determination their determination oregon alteration the timing - with organisers facing fines of £2,500 for ignoring these prescriptions, oregon imaginable situation sentences.

She told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips events of the past fewer days person highlighted a "gap" successful the instrumentality which she is determined to address, with a further reappraisal of each the authorities successful this country to beryllium carried retired to spot if further further powers are needed.

The Tories were this greeting forced to judge specified plans are "quite a bully idea" - arguing lone that specified enactment should person been taken sooner.

But others fearfulness the creeping interaction of continuing to tighten the laws astir protestation - peculiarly pursuing the nationalist bid authorities passed by the past Conservative government.

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The Liberal Democrats reason that this attack volition "do nothing" to tackle those spreading antisemitic hate, portion "undermining the cardinal close to protest".

It's a hard equilibrium to onslaught successful a clime of anger, fearfulness and rising assemblage tensions - and there's an unfastened question astir however overmuch interaction these alternatively nuanced further powers would truly person had connected the weekend's protests.

But Ms Mahmood has intelligibly decided an urgent effect is needed - portion leaving the doorway unfastened to the anticipation of tougher, and truthful adjacent much arguable measures successful future.