Head-on | Has Britain Been Taken Over by Islamists?

British MPs have been forced to hire personal bodyguards following threats by Islamist groups over Britain’s support of Israel in the Gaza war.

Three unnamed women MPs have been given additional security. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued a statement following the direct threats to British MPs: “Legitimate protests (have been) hijacked by extremists to promote and glorify terrorism, elected representatives verbally threatened and physically, violently targeted and antisemitic tropes beamed onto our own Parliament building.”

Threats of physical violence against British MPs have increased further since the killing by the Israeli army last week of over 100 Palestinian civilians seeking food aid in north Gaza.

London has become a safe haven for Islamist extremists. Pakistan-origin mayor Sadiq Khan, in office since 2016, is accused of being soft on Islamists because he relies on Muslim votes in mayoral elections.

As in India, Muslims in Britain vote in blocs. This was highlighted by the victory of controversial politician George Galloway last week in a by-election in Rochdale, a town in Greater Manchester.

The by-election showed how deeply the Gaza war is influencing British politics. Labour party leader Keir Starmer is widely expected to be the next British prime minister given Labour’s lead in opinion polls of more than 15 per cent over the Conservative party.

In the Rochdale by-election, Starmer, a staunch supporter of Israel, suspended Labour’s official candidate Azhar Ali for making antisemitic comments on Israel’s war in Gaza. In the absence of party support for a Labour candidate, Galloway romped home to victory.

A strong backer of Palestine, Galloway, who leads the small Workers Party of Britain, said after his win: “Labour will pay a high price for the catastrophe in the Gaza war.”

This alarmed Starmer enough to apologise to Rochdale voters after Galloway’s win: “I regret we had to withdraw our candidate (Ali) and apologise to the voters of Rochdale.”

Galloway has promised to make life difficult for both Starmer and Sunak as campaigning gets under way for the UK general election later this year. Putting aside their parties’ differences, Starmer and Sunak have come together to support Israel which could alienate young Britons, both white and ethnic minorities. It could make the result of the general election less predictable.

Gangs of London

It’s not only British politicians who are under threat of violence. Crime in London has soared. Young knife-carrying gangs on mopeds snatch expensive watches, mobile phones and other personal effects.

Several Indian tourists speak of being robbed in broad daylight in central London. According to a Sky News report: “India’s business elite feel they have to look over their shoulder while visiting areas such as Mayfair in London due to the risk of being mugged. The theft of high-value timepieces sold on the black market has become a criminal enterprise in the UK capital in recent years with one former watch dealer telling Sky News it is ‘more lucrative than drugs’.

“High-profile targets include former world boxing champion Amir Khan, who was forced to hand over his £70,000 Franck Muller watch in a gunpoint robbery in east London.”

The man blamed for the descent of London into a crime-laden metropolis is mayor Sadiq Khan. On his watch crime in London has soared.

British tourism authorities have issued a warning to London police that foreign holiday-makers have safer cities to visit in Europe other than London and more action is needed to make the city safer for tourists.

The demographics of London are changing rapidly. According to the latest census, British whites now comprise only 30 per cent of London’s population. Other European whites permanently resident in London account for another 20 per cent. The balance 50 per cent are ethnic minorities from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and the Caribbean.

London is set to become a white-minority city for the first time in its history. Just 100 years ago, London was 98 per cent white. Colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade to the Caribbean has resulted in migration from Britain’s former colonies.

Fraught general election

With MPs facing death threats, campaigning among large crowds in the forthcoming British general election will be fraught. Even in calmer times in 2016, Jo Cox, a Labour MP, was shot dead by a white supremacist and Nazi supporter Thomas Mair who is serving a life sentence.

Complicating the security situation, the British government remains a vocal supporter of Israel’s war in Gaza. As the originator of the Palestine “problem”, Britain’s historical role has come under increasing scrutiny.

British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour issued the 1917 Balfour Declaration promising Jews a homeland in what was then Palestine.

As a result, European Jews, led by Zionist nationalists, poured into Palestine over the next 31 years. In 1948, most Palestinian Arabs had been driven out of their homes. On May 1, 1948, Israel declared itself a sovereign nation.

The United States was among the first countries to recognise Israel and facilitate its membership of the United Nations. Over the past 76 years, Washington has not once wavered in its iron-clad support for Israel. Nor has Britain.

But unlike Britain, US public opinion is solidly behind Israel over the Gaza war, despite the death and destruction it has caused. The former Al Jazeera and MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan was sacked earlier this year for being critical of Israel.

In Britain, the greater presence of Islamists, especially in London and other large cities, could add to the threat British MPs already face ahead of the general election.

The writer is an editor, author and publisher. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.