‘Pound Shop Enoch Powell’: Home Secretary Slammed For ‘Appalling’ Northern Ireland Remarks In Pushing ‘Hate March’ Rhetoric

Home Secretary Suella Braverman listens to Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he hosts a policing roundtable at 10 Downing Street, London, Thursday Oct. 12, 2023. (James Manning/Pool Photo via AP)

Home Secretary Suella Braverman blasted as “ignorant” and “pathetic” for drawing a comparison between the pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day and marches by paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland.

In an article penned for The Times, Braverman expressed her belief that the demonstrations were not simply a manifestation of solidarity for Gaza but a “hate march” and a “show of strength” for Islamist groups, including Hamas.

Continuing, the Home Secretary portrayed the upcoming marches as an “assertion of primacy by certain groups” and suggested a similarity with political marches seen in Northern Ireland where banned marches by dissident paramilitary groups have taken place over the years and occasionally descended into violence.

The comments ignited severe backlash from political leaders across the board, particularly from politicians in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland’s Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Colum Eastwood did not mince words, labelling Braverman as a “pound shop Enoch Powell,” in reference to the infamous British politician known for his racially divisive rhetoric.

Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on foreign affairs, Matt Carthy, sharply critiqued the Home Secretary’s grasp of Northern Ireland’s complexities in an interview with BBC’s Good Morning Ulster, likening it to her understanding of the Palestinian situation. Northern Irish Alliance MP Stephen Farry described her comparisons as “pathetic.”

Defending Braverman, a representative told BBC News NI that the comment was aimed at the activities of “dissident republicans,” rather than the broader political context.

In England, however, push back continued. Labour Party’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, characterised Braverman’s comments as a strategic manipulation of Northern Ireland’s sensitive history to fuel community discord, specifically as part of her leadership ambitions. He called the move “an appalling new low,” and went as far as to demand her dismissal by the prime minister.

Further controversy surrounds Braverman’s accusations directed at the Metropolitan Police for an alleged bias concerning the Gaza marches.