Only the most terrible fools see no difference between peaceful and violent protest

I CAN only imagine Vladimir Putin’s laughter in Moscow. Last week, Ben Jamal, director of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, told protesters at Westminster he wanted a situation where “they will have to lock the doors of parliament itself”.

Three MPs — all women, naturally — have been given police protection. MPs’ offices are surrounded and graffitied. The far-Right white nationalist Tommy Robinson will be allowed to visit London from May. He is threatening riots.

The Home Secretary must deal with this now because this is how liberal democracies fall. I have no idea if Jamal has read the history of the Weimar Republic, or understands it if he did, and I know Robinson hasn’t. Democracies fall when no one defends their processes. We cannot allow the physical intimidation of elected politicians. It is a line that must not be crossed.

Jamal will say I write this because I am a liberal Zionist, and he is an anti-Zionist. Nonsense. I’d say the same to a Zionist who wanted to disrupt parliament: no quarter for any extremists. Jamal still hasn’t explained why, if the march was peaceful in intent, it should be necessary for parliament to be locked down. Perhaps he thinks all parliamentarians are hysterics. It didn’t look that way.