Protests may need to be stopped in some cases, PM suggests

Protests may need to be stopped in some cases, PM suggestsJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleBecky MortonPolitical reporterBBCThe prime minister has suggested there may be a case for banning some protests, following calls for a suspension of pro-Palestinian marches.Asked if he wanted tougher policing of language used during marches, or if he wanted to stop some protests altogether, Sir Keir Starmer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think certainly the first, and I think there are instances for the latter."The PM said he would always defend the right to protest but he was concerned about the "cumulative" effect of repeated marches on the Jewish community.It comes after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London, on Wednesday.The attack, which has been declared a terror incident by police, is the latest in a string of violent incidents targeting Jewish people.The government commissioned a review of public order and hate crime legislation last year, after two Jewish people were killed in an attack outside a synagogue in Manchester.It was expected to report back in February but is yet to be published.Earlier this week, Jonathan Hall, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, called for a "moratorium" on pro-Palestinian marches.He said it was "clearly impossible at the moment" for the protests "not to incubate within them some sort of antisemitic or demonising language".Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis has also called for a temporary ban on the marches after the Golders Green attack.He told the BBC the protests had contributed towards a "tone of Jew hatred within our country".Pro-Palestinian marches have been hijacked, says minister'Globalise the intifada' chant is racist, says StarmerAsked about the call for a moratorium, Sir Keir said: "I think it's time to look across the board at protests and the cumulative effect."He added:...