Kemi Badenoch has defended her argument that pro-Palestine marches should be banned because they platform antisemitism, while allowing marches by far-right activist Tommy Robinson. During an interview on the Today programme, the Conservative leader insisted the two types of marches were “different”, citing the killing of two Jewish men at Heaton Park synagogue last year and an attack on two others in Golders Green.
When challenged that Robinson’s events could promote anti-Muslim hate, Badenoch said “criticism of religion is allowed in this country” and that it was “the people” being attacked, not the faith. She questioned why antisemitism is often met with “whataboutery”, adding: “When something happens to black people, no one does the whataboutery… Why do we have this double standard?”
The comments come amid a broader political debate on tackling antisemitism, with Labour’s Keir Starmer also making a speech on the issue. Badenoch also criticised Donald Trump as “very erratic” and questioned a £5m donation to Nigel Farage from a crypto billionaire, suggesting it might indicate he has been “bought”.
Responding to Badenoch’s remarks on Trump, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller accused her of hypocrisy, noting she had been “only too happy initially to cheer on Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s idiotic war”. He argued she now highlights strategic concerns only when “politically inconvenient”.
