Suella Braverman has criticised the Metropolitan Police over “playing favourites” with protesters as she slammed Britain’s most senior officer.
The Home Secretary clashed with Sir Mark Rowley, the Met commissioner following his decision to allow Saturday’s pro-Palestinian march to go ahead.
Braverman also shared concerns about weekly pro-Palestininan protests which she claims are being used by Islamic extremists in a bid to dominate London.
She accuses senior police officers of being "biased" on their policing of protests and implement "double standards" by taking a softer approach towards left-wing groups such as Black Lives Matter.
Earlier this week, Rowley said the threshold of serious disorder required to ban an Armistice Day protest in London was not met.
Braverman has urged the Met not to take a soft-touch approach over the course of the weekend amid criticism of police management during rallies over the last month.
Writing in The Times said the public will “expect to see an assertive and proactive approach to any displays of hate, breaches of conditions and general disorder”.
Her comments come despite Rishi Sunak toning down his rhetoric towards Rowley after warning that he would be held “accountable” if the protests caused any disruption of Remembrance commemorations.
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GB News understands that Braverman's policing comments in the Times article were signed off by No10.
“It went out [to 10 Downing St] and it came back,” an ally said.
Following an emergency meeting, the Prime Minister said Rowley had provided “reassurances that the police are taking every step necessary” to prevent protests disrupting Remembrance services.
Sunak said: “It’s welcome that the police have confirmed that the march will be away from the Cenotaph and they will ensure that the timings do not conflict with any Remembrance events.
"There remains the risk of those who seek to divide society using this weekend as a platform to do so.”
Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said: “Suella Braverman is out of control.
Sir Mark Rowley has said the police will 'ensure that Remembrance and Armistice are not compromised'PA"Her article tonight is a highly irresponsible, dangerous attempt to undermine respect for police at a sensitive time, to rip up operational independence & to inflame community tensions.
"No other Home Secretary of any party would ever do this.”
The organisers of the pro-Palestine protest dismissed calls by the Met to cancel their fifth consecutive rally, noting that it starts nearly two hours after the two minutes’ silence and the altered route avoids the Cenotaph on Whitehall.
However, Braverman argued: “I do not believe that these marches are merely a cry for help for Gaza.
"They are an assertion of primacy by certain groups — particularly Islamists — of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland.
"Also disturbingly reminiscent of Ulster are the reports that some of Saturday’s march group organisers have links to terrorist groups, including Hamas.”
