Miriam Cates has called on South Yorkshire Police to investigate the removal of the Israeli flag from the Sheffield Town Hall flagpole by a man who scaled the building to replace it with a Palestine flag.
A video shared widely online showed a man climbing the building to remove the Israeli flag being cheered on by pro-Palestine protesters. He then replaced the flag with the Palestine flag to yet more cheering.
Cates, MP for Penistone and Stockbridge, called on the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police to investigate the incident. In her letter, she wrote: “I have no doubt that you will share my shock and disgust at the behaviour of those who gathered in Sheffield City Centre last night to celebrate the sickening recent terror attacks on Israeli civilians.
“In footage all over social media, and now in the national media, protestors can be seen tearing down the Israeli flag from the Town Hall flagpole, shouting and cheering as it falls to the ground. In another video of a demonstration near the train station, a protester shouts: ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’, a reference to the desire of Hamas and other antisemitic and proscribed organisations to destroy Israel – and the Jews. There is much other similar footage online.”
Cates went on to cite Suella Braverman’s letter to Chief Constables yesterday outlining that support for Hamas is a criminal offence.
“I therefore ask you as a matter of urgency to investigate the protests that took place in Sheffield yesterday and to determine whether any offences have been committed. It is unconscionable that those who express such blatant support for racially motivated terrorism should face no consequences.”
The letter comes after a wave of pro-Palestine protests have broken out in many major British cities. Over the weekend, footage from Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow showed pro-Palestine rallies. Three pro-Hamas protesters were arrested in the huge protest outside the Israeli embassy in London.
Protests have also taken place in New York City, with one particular video showing a man shouting: “We will not stop until it [Islam] enters every home. I want to hear it in every single district. It should tremble Brooklyn should hear it. The Bronx should hear it. Queens should hear it. Say it — There is no God worthy of worship except Allah.”
A similar protest erupted in Sydney with footage showing people repeatedly shouting “Gas the Jews”.
Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf has said that his parents-in-law are stuck in Gaza and has written to the Foreign Secretary James Cleverly calling for a “humanitarian corridor” to let civilians out of the region. In recent hours, Gaza’s main power plant has run out of fuel due to Israel’s siege of the area.
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