Israel-Gaza violence: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calls Palestinian protest in Belfast school 'malicious'

The matter was raised in the House of Commons by Sammy Wilson during a Q&A session with the Prime Minister on Monday evening.

Screenshots of the protest, circulated online, show it took place at Coláiste Feirste, Belfast’s only Irish language secondary school, based in the city’s west.

A video had appeared on the school’s Twitter account showing a pupil surrounded by others bearing Palestine flags.

In the video (which has since disappeared from the school’s Twitter feed, and been replaced by the image above), the pupil delivered a speech entirely in Irish, except for the final words: "Our laughter will be the revenge of our children."

This quote is often attributed to IRA icon Bobby Sands.

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Speaking in the Commons last night, DUP MP Sammy Wilson said: “The Israeli Government have the right, indeed the duty, to protect their civilians against these bloody terrorist attacks, and we wish the Prime Minister well in his advice and guidance to the Israeli Government to enable them to achieve the aims that they need to achieve in protecting their citizens.

"His statement indicated that we would not tolerate the glorification of terror, which would be met by the full force of the law.

"Will he therefore join me in condemning the Irish language-speaking school in west Belfast whose students held pro-Palestinian demonstrations this week, which were facilitated within the school?

"Does he agree that schools should be places where pupils are taught that it is morally wrong to support terrorism, and they should not facilitate such demonstrations?"

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The Prime Minister responded: “I thank the right honourable gentleman for his remarks.

"I do not know the details of the incident that he has described, but he is right that this malicious activity should not be happening in schools.

"We are absolutely clear about the fact that under the Terrorism Acts 2000 and 2006 it is an offence – there is a range of offences – to encourage terrorism, glorify and support groups that have been proscribed as terrorist organisations under UK law.

"The police will use all the tools at their disposal to stamp that out and arrest those who perpetrate such acts.”