Polanski says he would discourage ‘globalise the intifada’ chant but warns against march bans
Zack Polanski has said he would discourage pro-Palestine protesters from using the chant “globalise the intifada”, but the Green party leader warned against specifically outlawing the phrase or banning a protest planned in London later this month.Speaking earlier in the weekend, Keir Starmer called for “tougher action” against marchers using the chant after last week’s attack on Jewish people in Golders Green, saying pro-Gaza marches risked having a cumulative effect of being intimidating.While the Metropolitan police already have a policy of arresting people who chant “globalise the intifada”, Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said any further action would await an ongoing review of protest laws.Speaking on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Polanski said outlawing the chant would overly restrict freedom of speech.He reiterated his apology for sharing a post on X that criticised police for the way they arrested a suspect after two Jewish people were stabbed in Golders Green, north-west London, on Wednesday.
Footage of the arrest shows two officers appearing to kick the man on or near his head,Polanski said that while he remained concerned about the footage, he apologised “because I accept that X or social media is not the appropriate forum to have that concern”, adding that he was going to discuss the matter privately with Mark Rowley, the Met commissioner,On Friday, Rowley used an open letter to accuse Polanski of undermining his officers by sharing the critical post, something the Green leader argued was a mistake as well: “I also think an open letter from the commissioner also wasn’t necessarily the appropriate forum, but I’m glad we’ve resolved that,I’ve asked the commissioner for a meeting, and I’ll be taking those conversations up in private,”Asked if he agreed with Starmer that “globalise the intifada”, which uses an Arabic word for uprising, was racist, Polanski said: “No, I don’t think that’s correct.
I think it’s important that we make sure that we have freedom of speech in this country and freedom of protest.” He added he did not believe “policing people’s language” would make Jewish people safer.Asked if he would use the phrase, Polanski replied: “I wouldn’t encourage people to use it, because actually I think you can make your point a lot more effectively and not get into this conversation about language.”Speaking earlier on the same programme, Alexander said it was right for police to take action in the face of repeated protests that were “intimidating a particular community, that was always on the receiving end”.She said the decision on whether to ban a planned pro-Gaza protest on 16 May was an operational one for the police, and that any outright ban on chanting “globalise the intifada” would be decided after a review of protest laws by the former director of public prosecutions Ken Macdonald, who is now a crossbench peer.
“We are not talking about an outright comprehensive ban on protest or anything like that,” she said.“We are talking about the cumulative impact upon the Jewish community in particular.Here we will take the steps that are appropriate to deal with this problem, but we will also defend the right to protest.”Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, told the programme that all pro-Gaza marches needed to be stopped, saying they were “creating a climate that is normalising hatred towards Jews”.Asked if police should ban a march in London also planned for 16 May and led by the far-right agitator Tommy Robinson, Badenoch said no.
“Is he creating a climate of intimidation and violence?” she asked.When told that a previous Robinson-organised march last year had resulted in a number of arrests, Badenoch said: “This is exactly what I’m talking about.You haven’t been able to say who that was targeted against.”
Why we care so much about preserving family recipes
“Chicken, leek, flour, a few more ingredients.” That was it: my grandma’s WhatsApp response to me earnestly asking if she’d mind sharing her time-honoured chicken pie recipe. She wasn’t being obtuse – well, not deliberately. She had simply never before committed a dish that was second nature to paper, let alone an iPhone screen.It wasn’t how she’d learned it and it wasn’t how I’d go on to learn it, either
When it comes to wines, it pays to look beyond the fashionable
The sommelier Honey Spencer, of Sune in east London, struck a real chord on Instagram earlier this year: “I’m so fucking sick of expensive wine,” she lamented. There followed an angry plaint about the “unrelenting rise” in the cost of bottles from “artisans making wine properly … and FORGET BURGUNDY”. In a difficult climate, this is “one of the hardest pills to swallow” for the restaurateur.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link
Rachel Roddy’s recipe for spaghetti with crab, chilli, herbs and lemon | A kitchen in Rome
My copy of the River Cafe Cookbook is silver, having lost its original blue sleeve some years ago. Naked, the hardback cover is completely plain, so it is my handwriting of “River Cafe blue” along the metallic spine, even though there is little chance of mixing it up with the yellow softback River Cafe Cookbook Two or the emerald cover of River Cafe Cookbook Green.Blue was first published in 1996, a sobering fact, because that’s the same year I enrolled at the Drama Centre London, as well as the year when Pierce Brosnan took on rogue agent Alec Trevelyan (played by Sean Bean) in GoldenEye. That was Brosnan’s debut as James Bond and Dame Judi Dench’s first appearance as M. Brosnan trained at Drama Centre between 1973 and 1976, which is why, when I bought the blue book in 1996, I had good reason to imagine my future career as looking a little like that of Pierce, or Judi, or both
How to turn old pitta into spiced chips – recipe | Waste not
Three years ago, I helped my friend, the chef Sam Webb, set up Babette, a street food stall at Newquay Boathouse. Webb and his team make everything from scratch and, wherever possible, using only local Cornish produce, from their hot honey (sourced from the Rescued Bee) to pitta with freshly milled flour from Cornish Golden Grains; he also grows his own produce with fellow restaurateur Matt Comley at Gannel Valley Gardens.As you might expect, saving food waste is at the top of Webb’s agenda, which is how he came to create waste-saving pitta chips to serve with hummus. It’s a recipe I couldn’t resist, not least because they take minutes to cook. What makes Webb’s pitta chips unique is their wonderful seasoning of sumac, za’atar and sea salt just before serving
Why sweet, chewy dates go perfectly with chocolate – and the best ones to try
I first cemented the allure of the “chew” aged 14, working illegally as a chambermaid (I lied about my age) and finding a guest’s Gummy Bears laid open – a breach I heavily exploited. Recently this chew need has been sated by dates and their use in chocolate as a healthy caramel. Dates do have nutritional benefits over mere sugar: fibre, minerals, antioxidants and make a great pre-workout boost.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link
The perfect birthday cake: tips for the best blow-out
What’s the best birthday cake?Katie, by email“My mum once made a cake with mini rolls made to look like cats with googly eyes and strawberry lace tails,” says Nicola Lamb, author of Sift and the Kitchen Projects newsletter. And that’s the whole point of a birthday cake, right? It should align with the recipient’s favourite thing: “That could even be a lasagne,” Lamb says. “I’m not at all prescriptive about what you stick a candle into.”Of course, some cakes are a safer choice than others. Take the Victoria sponge: “I don’t think anyone is going to have a problem with a plush vanilla sponge, jam and cream job,” Lamb says
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