Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Paper Talk: Suella Braverman takes on Met over chats at protest
Many of Monday’s front pages report Home Secretary Suella Braverman is demanding answers from the boss of the Metropolitan Police after some protesters were not arrested for chanting “jihad” at a pro-Palestinian march in London over the weekend.
Braverman takes on Met chief
The Daily Mail says a furious Braverman will demand to know why police adopted a “low-key” approach and “stood by” as a man chanted “jihad” at a pro-Palestine rally.
The Times says Met chief Sir Mark Rowley will defend his officers because the protesters cannot be prosecuted under current legislation. The paper says Sir Mark jointly authored a review two years ago “which found that extremists were able to operate with ‘impunity’ in the UK and incite hatred because of the “gaping chasm” in the UK’s legislation”.
In the Daily Telegraph, former Met officer and counter-terrorism expert Neil Basu claims the government failed to act on Sir Mark’s review. The paper quotes a group protecting Jewish people in the UK – the Community Security Trust – which accuses the police of “legitimising obnoxious and hateful behaviour” with their response to the chanting.
The Sun reports that a London tube driver was leading passengers in chants of “Free Palestine” on the Central Line on Saturday. The incident is being investigated by BTP and TfL.
Hostage negotiations
Elsewhere, the Guardian reports that there is pressure growing on Israel to negotiate the release of the more than 200 hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza before the ground assault.
The FT reports Washington is sending more air defences to the Middle East as tensions rise across the region. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is quoted on the front of the paper expressing his concern about the risk of escalation.
Away from the Middle East conflict, the i newspaper reports civil servants have called Suella Braverman’s Rwanda scheme “absurd.”