With pro-Palestinian protests taking place on the anniversary of the October 7th attacks in Israel, politicians in the Senedd have called for sensitivity, while also seeing the need to protect our rights to peacefully protest.
00:00I think that it is important that we all, as politicians, appeal for calmness and for kindness and to make sure that we stand together with our communities across the nation and calm the temperature down on this.
00:19It is our responsibilities as leaders within our communities to make sure that we are appealing for people to calm down and not to raise the temperatures at a really sensitive time.
00:36It's been a sensitive few days for the Jewish community across Wales after the attacks at the synagogue in Manchester taking place on Yom Kippur, the most important day for Jewish people on their calendar.
00:45And then the anniversary of Hamas' attacks on civilians in 2023, which sparked the latest increase in warfare across Israel and Palestine.
00:53Pro-Palestinian protests have been growing in recent months and Tory leader Darren Miller says those protests taking place on Tuesday should never have happened given the impact they could have had on the Jewish community all across Wales and the rest of the UK.
01:07And they are acutely aware that they could easily have been the victims of an attack.
01:12You know, it's the grace of God, basically, that prevented a similar attack taking place in somewhere like Manchester.
01:20And the Jewish community shouldn't have to live in fear.
01:23They're fed up of hate-filled protests on our streets.
01:28The UK Prime Minister, of course, and the Home Secretary have called for protests to be called off today.
01:33I agree with them.
01:34But you haven't.
01:36So can you tell us, will you call for protesters to stay at home and not be on our streets on today of all days?
01:46I think it's important that we support people's rights to protest.
01:50I think that's part of who we are as a democratic nation.
01:54But I do think that there are times when you need to be sensitive.
01:57And I think today is the day when you need to be sensitive.
02:00Peaceful protesting has always been a cornerstone of a free and democratic society.
02:07And Plaid Cymru leader, Sreena Piorworth, says that that needs to remain in order to protect the freedoms that we all enjoy in Wales.
02:14He asked Aline Ed Morgan if she agrees.
02:16And is also committed to the protection of peaceful protests across the country.
02:19We strike the right balance between liberty and security at this time of heightened tensions.
02:27But over the weekend, the UK Home Secretary announced that police will be given greater powers to restrict protests by allowing them to consider the cumulative impact of repeated demonstrations.
02:39I find this deeply worrying.
02:42Plaid Cymru believes that peaceful protests is a fundamental right that must be protected.
02:47Will the First Minister confirm that she agrees too with that principle?
02:51I agree absolutely that the right to protest is a fundamental principle within our society.
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