'I urge anyone thinking about protesting to respect the grief of British Jews'

Writing in the Jewish Chronicle, Sir Keir called on protesters to call it off. He said: “Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy — and there is justified concern about the suffering in Gaza — but a minority have used these protests as a pretext for stoking antisemitic tropes. I urge anyone thinking about protesting to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews.

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“This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain.”

In today’s Daily Express, Mr Jenrick warned that Thursday’s atrocity was “sadly the logical endpoint of escalating extremism”. The Tory MP added: “Warning after warning was ignored by people in authority. A feeble and spineless class of leaders have tolerated antisemitism and allowed it to grow.

“Whether in our universities, charities, institutions like the BBC or even the NHS, our elite class turned a blind eye. We do not need more performative acts of support, we need them to root out extremism and antisemitism ruthlessly wherever it rears its head.”

The Metropolitan Police has written to protest organiser Defend Our Juries to raise concerns about the amount of resources it would divert when “visible reassurance and protective security” is needed for Jewish communities across the capital.

A strongly worded statement from the force said: “At a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square in support of a terrorist organisation.