Correspondent in London
Britain's old democracy is in danger.
The Prime Minister considered the situation serious enough to speak on the steps of Downing Street on Friday evening.
Solemnly, Rishi Sunak warned that Britain must face extremists
'who want to tear us apart'
.
He lamented that the conflict in Gaza had led to a
"shocking increase in attempted intimidation and planned acts of violence"
on the country's streets.
For Rishi Sunak, the very identity of the country “
is a target”
.
“I fear that our great achievement, building the most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracy in the world, is being deliberately undermined,”
he said.
Since the start of the Gaza war, according to him, extremists have been instilling the poison of division.
He particularly singled out Islamists, saying protesters should not be allowed to call for
“violent jihad”
or express support for the terrorist group Hamas.
The prime minister added that
“Islamist extremists and the far right feed and embolden each other”
by being
“two sides of the same extremist coin”
.
Intolerance is gaining ground.
Earlier in the week, Sunak expressed alarm that
“mob rule is replacing democratic law”
.
Since October 7, British society seems to be anxiously discovering the country's fault lines.
The rifts over Gaza affect the streets as well as the political parties.
Large demonstrations continue to be organized regularly on Saturdays in London to protest against the war waged by Israel in response to the massacre carried out by Hamas.
And dozens of people have been arrested for anti-Semitic chants and banners or for attacking members of the emergency services.
Far-right activists were also arrested during counter-demonstrations.
For the English press, the Middle East and its tragic events are shaping political life...
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