Angela Rayner has accused Conservative leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick of “stirring up some of the problems” in recent days, after he suggested people who say “Allahu Akbar” should be “immediately arrested”.
Muslim politicians criticised the Tory former minister, one of six bidding to be the party’s next leader, for using “nasty divisive rhetoric” in his comments about the Arabic phrase meaning God is great.
Mr Jenrick was speaking about claims that far-right riots over the last week have been dealt with more harshly than other recent unrest, pointing to the policing of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the capital.
The Deputy Prime Minister condemned Tory MP Mr Jenrick’s remarks as she visited the Holiday Inn Express at Manvers, near Rotherham, which violent protesters stormed on Sunday.
Asked about his comments by broadcasters, Ms Rayner replied: “People like Robert Jenrick have been stirring up some of the problems that we’ve seen in our communities.
“Actually, what we want to see is communities coming together, and the vast majority of the public want to see that.
“The Prime Minister is very clear that his number one priority is to keep people safe and to keep our streets safe, and that’s why we’ve deployed the police to deal with the minority of people who think it’s acceptable to throw missiles at police, to attack police and attack hotels and attack businesses that are just trying to go about their daily lives.”
Speaking on Wednesday morning, Mr Jenrick had told Sky News: “I have been very critical of the police in the past, particularly around the attitude of some police forces to the protests that we saw since October 7.
“I thought it was quite wrong that somebody could shout Allahu Akbar on the streets of London and not be immediately arrested, project genocidal chants on to Big Ben and not be immediately arrested.
“That attitude is wrong and I’ll always call out the police for it.”
A spokesperson for Robert Jenrick said: “Robert has called out all disorder in the strongest possible terms, whether from the far-right or retaliatory violence from sectarian mobs.
“We are yet to see one Labour politician do the same. The country needs strong leadership, not squeamishness.”
Conservative peer Baroness Sayeeda Warsi criticised his remarks, writing on X: “Every day before we start parliamentary business in the Commons and Lords we say a prayer and praise God – we say our parliamentary version of Allah hu Akbars at the heart of democracy – a process Robert Jenrick is a part of.
“This language from Jenrick is more of his usual nasty divisive rhetoric – he is such a tool.”
Labour MP Naz Shah described the remarks as “complete ignorance and textbook Islamophobia from Robert Jenrick”.
This is complete ignorance and textbook Islamophobia from Robert Jenrick. It literally equates every Muslim in the world with extremism.
“Allah Hu Akbar” means “God is Great”.
It’s a basic Islamic saying that every Muslim in the world says in prayer.
It is significantly the… https://t.co/XbTQATXeUu
— Naz Shah (@NazShahBfd) August 7, 2024
Mr Jenrick also faced criticism from Muslim organisations, with the Muslim Council of Britain claiming his remark “only goes to show that institutional Islamophobia is alive and well in the Conservative Party”.
“As a prospective leader, Mr Jenrick should be showing leadership, reassuring our communities when fear is palpable,” they added.
The Muslim Association of Britain accused Mr Jenrick of “pure unadulterated Islamophobia” and said it was “precisely what has been driving these Islamophobic far-right extremists”.
Mr Jenrick later posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, appearing to show demonstrators in Bolton shouting the phrase, with the caption: “‘Allahu Akbar’ is spoken peacefully and spiritually by millions of British Muslims in their daily lives.
“But the aggressive chanting below is intimidatory and threatening. And it’s an offence under Section 4 and 5 of the Public Order Act.
“Extremists routinely abuse common expressions for their own shameful ends.”
Baroness Warsi urged him to apologise, as she replied: “No Robert you do not get to go on national broadcasters and say one thing and try and pretend you said something else after!”
Mel Stride, one of Mr Jenrick’s rivals for the Tory leadership, meanwhile, said the “suggestion of wholesale criminalisation of the words Allahu Akbar is unwise and insensitive”.
“Any threat in the use of these words can only ever be implied in the very rarest of circumstances. Context clearly matters hugely here,” he added.
Former Brexit chief negotiator Lord Frost came out in defence of Mr Jenrick. He wrote on X: “Today Robert Jenrick has been trying to say something important that needs to be said.
“I’m a free speech absolutist. I believe in the widest possible bounds for free speech.
“But context does matter. It is illegal to threaten or incite violence in this country.
“As I wrote back in November, words which are entirely acceptable in one context can mean something entirely different, and should be treated accordingly, when chanted by an aggressive mob on the streets. Our policing needs to recognise that.”
