A candidate for the Conservative Party leadership is coming under criticism for saying protesters should be arrested for saying "Allahu Akbar". The former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick was speaking to Sky News about the protests throughout the UK since the start of last week. Mr Jenrick, the MP for Newark, Nottinghamshire, who is one of six candidates for the Conservative Party leadership, appeared to suggest the policing of the protests was tougher than the policing of those since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian War.
(Image: Henry Lisowski) He appeared to suggest protesters should be arrested for saying "Allahu Akbar" - a term translated as "god is great" and "god is greatest" - which is used every day by British Muslims and others across the world including at the start of their prayers. Mr Jenrick said: "I have been critical of the police in the past around the attitude of some police to the protests we saw since October. I thought it was wrong somebody could shout Allahu Akbar on the streets and not be arrested.
" Later on Wednesday, the MP acknowledged context is crucial in a post in social media. ‘Allahu Akbar’ is spoken peacefully and spiritually by millions of British Muslims in their daily lives. But the aggressive chanting below is intimidatory and threatening.
And it’s an offence under Section 4 and 5 of the Public Order Act. Extremists routinely abuse common..
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com/XpLJ9OilyC — Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) August 7, 2024 He used wh.