Mayor urges total Hezbollah ban
SADIQ KHAN has written to Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, urging her to make supporting all factions of Hezbollah illegal in Britain.
Both Conservative and Labour figures have lobbied for a ban on the political “wing” of the antisemitic terror group. Its terrorist “wing” is already proscribed in this country.
Mr Khan contacted the Home Secretary after Hezbollah flags were displayed at last month’s Al-Quds Day march in central London.
He said he intended “to make strong representations on behalf of London’s Jewish communities about their legitimate and understandable concerns.
Mr Khan said: “I share the concerns of the Jewish community about support shown for Hezbollah, which is an illegal, proscribed and antisemitic organisation. “Antisemitism or hate crime of any kind has no place in our city, where we don’t just tolerate diversity, we respect and celebrate it.
“I remain in contact with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner about this issue. I will continue to work with the Met and communities across the capital to do everything in my power to crack down on extremism and ensure London’s Jewish communities feel safe and secure in London.”
Mr Khan’s decision comes two weeks after a heated exchange at the London Assembly that saw Conservative member Andrew Boff demand that the Mayor urge Ms Rudd “to clarify what is a banned and not-banned organisation in order to assist policing such demonstrations in the future?
The Conservative Friends of Israel, the Labour Friends of Israel and the Jewish Labour Movement have called for an outright ban of Hezbollah.
Andrew Dismore, Labour’s London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden, said he was pleased Mr Khan had decided to write to the Home Secretary.
He said: “I have spent over a decade campaigning for the complete proscription of Hezbollah, as I believe the distinction made between the ‘political’ and ‘military’ wings to be utterly bogus.”
Marie van der Zyl, Board of Deputies vice-president, said: “This is a welcome step by the Mayor which is fully supported by the Board of Deputies.
“Hezbollah itself does not distinguish between its military and political wing which is one and the same. The government urgently needs to follow the example of the USA, Canada and the Arab League by outlawing Hezbollah in its entirety. It is a terrorist organisation — end of.”