Some Jewish people are “absolutely terrified” to leave their homes during pro-Palestinian marches, according to the chancellor.
While most people wanted to demonstrate peacefully, Jeremy Hunt told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips show there had been instances of “very intimidatory protests” and this was “not the British way”.
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‘There are forces trying to tear us apart’
When “lines are being crossed” this needed to be confronted and extremism challenged, he said.
Mr Hunt made his comments after Rishi Sunak warned over “extremist forces trying to tear us apart” during a Downing Street address to the nation.
The prime minister, who had previously warned over the risk of “mob rule”, said “protests on our streets have descended into intimidation, threats and planned acts of violence” and “our democracy itself is a target”.
He also said the victory of left-wing firebrand George Galloway in the Rochdale by-election, where the campaign was dominated by the emotive issue of Gaza and dogged by accusations of abuse and intimidation, was “beyond alarming”.
Community tensions in the UK have heightened against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict, triggered by the militant attack on 7 October.
MPs have spoken of receiving death threats and abuse, while parliamentary proceedings were also controversially changed amid concerns over intimidation of parliamentarians in a Gaza ceasefire vote, sparking a backlash.
However, critics argue members of the ruling party have stoked divisions with their rhetoric, including former deputy Tory chairman Lee Anderson who was stripped of the party whip after he accused London mayor Sadiq Khan of being controlled by Islamists.
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Mr Hunt said while the “vast majority” of those demonstrating “want to protest peacefully and within the law”, there had been “examples of very intimidatory protests that have made other people feel unsafe”.
“That is not the British way,” he added.
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Mr Hunt went on: “What I do know is that I’ve had emails from people saying they are absolutely terrified – Jewish people, absolutely terrified – to go out of their houses because of the behaviour of a small minority.
“What I’m also saying is the vast majority of people in these protests want to do so peacefully and within the law and we absolutely respect their right to do so.
“But when lines are being crossed, we need to call it out and we need to be active in calling out extremism for what it is.”
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He told Phillips: “I think it is very important that we restore the social fabric of this country so that people understand that when there are demonstrations, they will be peaceful and within the law, and they are not intimidatory.
“I think we have seen some of that and the prime minister was rightly saying we need to call that out.”