The Islamic Human Rights Commission has accused the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan of kowtowing to Zionist and far right extremists over restrictions to the annual Al-Quds Day demonstration in London.
The IHRC says the Mayor has ignored concerns raised by members of the public that failure to curb the extremists could lead to another terrorist attack of the kind carried out by Darren Osborne against Muslims last summer.
The accusations were made after Khan’s office wrote to the IHRC saying it shares the concerns of London’s Jewish community and others about the support shown for Hezbollah at the march.
“Anti-Semitism or hate crime of any kind has no place in our city, where we don’t just tolerate diversity, we respect and celebrate it,” the letter said.
“He (Sadiq Khan) was disappointed that the Home Secretary refused his request last year to proscribe the political wing of Hezbollah in this country, which would have closed a legal loophole exploited as a vehicle for extremist views – and which ultimately limits what actions the police are able to take.
“There is now cross-party support within the House of Commons for proscribing the entirety of Hezbollah, and The Mayor continues to urge the Home Secretary to take the necessary action and implement this change.”
The IHRC believes a smear campaign was responsible for inciting Darren Osborne to drive a van into worshippers leaving late night Ramadan prayers in the Finsbury Park area of north London on 19 June 2017. Osborne’s intended target had been the Al Quds day protest that took place the day before, but he was unable to reach it.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
Pro-Israel advocates have been applying pressure on Khan to ban the annual Al Quds day march in London which highlights the continuing oppression of the Palestinians on the grounds that many of the participants carry Hezbollah flags as an expression of support for the pro-Palestinian group.
In its reply to the Mayor’s letter the IHRC says it believes that in supporting calls for a ban on Hezbollah flags the mayor is giving oxygen to extremists who want to sabotage and/or attack the Al Quds Day protest. IHRC condemned the response as a dereliction of the Mayor’ duty to protect innocent people from racist and extremist abuse.
“Instead of seeking to alleviate the legitimate fears and concerns of your constituents, your office decided to expound on your political views, in the process diminishing and even ignoring their primary concerns: racist abuse and extreme racist violence on the streets of London,” states IHRC’s letter.
“Your office’s continued support for the far-right and Zionist led campaigns against al-Quds Day makes you complicit in the violence against innocent people on the streets of London that results from that campaign, including as evidenced last year, murder at the hands of right-wing zealots.”
