Robin Simcox, the government's counter-extremism commissioner, has raised concerns about London becoming a "no-go zone for Jews" during weekend pro-Palestinian marches, urging

ministers to take bolder actions to address extremism.

In a recent speech, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak highlighted the forces attempting to divide the country. Simcox echoed Sunak's remarks, emphasizing the need for policies that match the scale of the challenge posed by extremism.

Simcox welcomed the forthcoming definition of extremism, which aims to guide the government's engagement and funding decisions. He emphasized that the government possesses sufficient power to confront extremism effectively, noting that restricting extremist-operated television channels or preventing London from becoming inaccessible to Jews during protests should not be seen as betraying democracy or turning authoritarian.

He lamented the normalization of such occurrences in the UK and stressed the urgency of addressing them.

Pro-Palestinian marches have become regular occurrences in London since the onset of the conflict in Gaza. Last month, Home Secretary James Cleverly urged these groups to halt their protests, questioning their efficacy in advocating for an end to the Gaza conflict. However, the groups argue that government pressure and anti-Muslim sentiment from certain MPs have led to heavy-handed and discriminatory policing of their peaceful demonstrations by the Metropolitan Police. Photo by Home Office and Commission for Countering Extremism, Wikimedia commons.