According to Rishi Sunak (and his mini-me Keir Starmer), Britain is overrun with extremists. Given that the problem is significant enough to have warranted a special speech from Sunak outside Downing Street, you’d think these extremists would be easy to identify.
Not so if you’re Jeremy Hunt – the second-most senior politician in the government:
The PM says extremist groups are hijacking pro Palestinian marches. #trevorphillips asks Jeremy Hunt who these extremist groups are. Hunt can't say. pic.twitter.com/O6RKAGHa8g
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) March 3, 2024
Embarrassing
Trevor Phillips of Sky News began by quoting Sunak, who said in his special address outside Downing Street:
Our streets have been hijacked by small groups who are hostile to our values
Extremist groups are a real growing threat.
The extremists who support ethnic cleansing and murdering tens of thousands of civilians, who want war at any cost, who support Enoch Powell-style immigration policies and who our out to destroy our NHS.https://t.co/BwU29jGU8t— Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) March 1, 2024
This was an interesting thing for the multi-millionaire Tory Sunak to say, as most people in the UK will have few shared values with him. We’d say that maybe the people who voted for him do, but of course no one voted for Sunak to become prime minister – he just slipped in after the previous two occupants of the position got booted out.
Back to the interview, Phillips asked Hunt:
Can you name a group that isn’t already banned that needs to be proscribed because of their actions on these marches?
Well, I’m not going to go into those details. That’s a matter for the home secretary.
Which is precisely what someone would say if they couldn’t name any such groups. Phillips responded:
The prime minister spoke about groups consistently in his speech… you want to be practical – you’ve been saying that to me all this morning – name one.
Just one. This should be easy, right?’
Who are these ‘extremists’?
Not if Hunt’s nervous stammering was anything to go by. While he wouldn’t/couldn’t name a single extremist group, he could point out what we all know:
What I can tell is that the vast majority of British Muslims want to protest peacefully and within the law, and they have every right to do so.
But we have seen examples of very intimidatory protests that have made other people feel very unsafe…
What the prime minister is saying is what we need to remember is the British way is tolerance and understanding, the way you get change is through peaceful protest, and argument and persuasion, and he was reaffirming those very British values
Phillips later said:
When you and the PM speak of these anonymous groups, or organisations, there are people assuming that you must mean either anyone who has been on these marches or anyone who has happened to profess the Muslim faith.
If you know this is happening, why can’t you say what groups – the prime minister specifically spoke about groups and organisations – you mean?
Hunt still couldn’t name a single extremist group. And he isn’t the only one who can’t validate Sunak’s desperate fear-mongering:
Downing Street Fails To Provide Evidence To Back Up Rishi Sunak's 'Mob Rule' Claim
Downing Street has failed to provide any evidence to back up Rishi Sunak’s claim that there is a “growing consensus that mob rule is replacing democratic rule”.https://t.co/EWhYRAD1Oz
— Paul (@hatearacist) March 1, 2024
Although Sunak does at least have the support of Starmer:
🚨 NEW: Keir Starmer backs PM's plans to restrict protest rights, saying Sunak was advocating "unity".
Starmer said in a statement: "Elected representatives should be able to do their jobs and cast their votes without fear or favour." pic.twitter.com/NkNn4BOyJK
— Stats for Lefties 🍉🏳️⚧️ (@LeftieStats) March 1, 2024
Too bad for the Tory-Labour alliance that people don’t seem to be falling for it:
Jeremy Hunt is asked numerous times to name the 'extremist' groups which the prime minister said had hijacked the pro-Palestine marches in recent months.
He doesn’t answer because he can’t, they are talking up a fictitious enemy to secure more votes.
pic.twitter.com/ldXseKS9xv— Newham Independents 💛 (@NewhamIndParty) March 3, 2024
Especially as the Tory party itself is quite openly filled with actual extremists:
Laura K: If she [Liz Truss] was happy to appear alongside him [Lee Anderson] even though he’s been booted out, should she face some sort of consequences too?
Jeremy Hunt: “Thats a matter for the Conservative Party..”
What party is Jeremy Hunt in again? 👀
#bbclaurak pic.twitter.com/36CKv1k4YN
— Eddie Burfi (@EddieBurfi) March 3, 2024
Desperation politics
Sunak and Starmer are in panic mode because their support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza saw both parties getting hammered in the Rochdale byelection:
Both leaders want voters’ approval, but not as much as they to support what’s shaping up to be the greatest humanitarian disaster of this century. In their desperation and idiocy, Starmer and Sunak pulled what’s arguably the greatest Karen move of all time by threatening to set the police on voters who disagree with them – or ‘extremists’.
As the situation unfolds, expect the response from our panicked political leaders to become even more ridiculous.
Featured image via Sky News