UK Premier Sunak warns of polarization over backlash to former Tory lawmaker's Islamophobic remarks

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) — UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has issued a cautionary message against rising polarization and hatred in British politics.

His warning came late on Saturday amid controversy sparked by Tory lawmaker Lee Anderson's suspension from the party following Islamophobic, racist comments aimed at London's Mayor Sadiq Khan.

The firestorm ignited when Anderson, representing Ashfield, a district north of Nottingham, refused to retract his statement asserting that "Islamists" wield significant influence over Khan.

Despite bipartisan condemnation, including calls from Labour leader Keir Starmer for Sunak to bring order to his party, the prime minister refrained from directly addressing Anderson's remarks.

Instead, he emphasized the safety of members of parliament and the alarming trend of escalating prejudice and antisemitism in the country.

Sunak, in a statement issued Saturday evening, underscored a concerning surge in hostility and discrimination, particularly in the aftermath Oct. 7, when Israel launched a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack on its territory surrounding the enclave.

"The events of recent weeks are but the latest in an emerging pattern which should not be tolerated," Sunak asserted, referring to massive pro-Palestine rallies, despite these events being legitimate.

Sunak also called pro-Palestine chants projected onto the walls of British parliament as being "antisemitic" and said:

"Legitimate protests (were) 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," he claimed.

- 'UK most successful multi-ethnic democracy in world'

Sunak went on to stress that British democracy "cannot and must not bend to the threat of violence and intimidation or fall into polarised camps who hate each other."

"Bending to the threat of violence and intimidation is not an option for British democracy," Sunak emphasized, adding that succumbing to polarization would only deepen societal divides.

"Simply put, antisemitism is racism. And speaking as someone who has experienced racism, I know it when I see it," he said.

Reflecting on his own heritage and the journey of his family to Britain, Sunak stressed the significance of embracing multiculturalism, while fostering a sense of unity and belonging within the broader community.

"It is what makes me most proud of this country because it is proof that we are the most successful multi-ethnic democracy in the world. When my family came to this country, they retained their heritage and their religion but this did not stop them embracing and serving their new community," he said.

Sunak has been accused of complicity in a wave of Islamophobic racism in the wake of Anderson's attack on London Mayor Khan.

Starmer accused Sunak of harboring "extremists in his party" and other senior Conservatives were condemned for "toxic" rhetoric, in an article he penned for weekly newspaper The Observer.