Ayaan Hirsi Ali has questioned why British Muslim communities and pro-Palestine protesters are not taking action against grooming gangs within their communities.
Speaking on GB News, she challenged why demonstrators who can mobilise “100,000 men strong” for protests about “a geopolitical issue thousands of miles away” are not organising similar responses to sexual abuse cases closer to home.
The comments come amid renewed national discourse about grooming gangs, with calls for a full government inquiry gaining momentum.
“If these communities are opposed to what these men are doing, why are they not organising protests or distancing themselves from these sorts of things?” Hirsi Ali said.
Hirsi Ali took aim at the thousands who have taken to the streets protesting against the Israel-Gaza war
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In her GB News appearance, Hirsi Ali specifically highlighted Pakistani men as being “the largest number who have been caught” participating in grooming gangs.
She expanded her comments to include “men from Somalia, men from Afghanistan, men from Iraq, it’s Muslim men in general.”
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Rotherham grooming gangCPSThe activist clarified that while not all Muslim men were involved, she questioned why these activities had been allowed to continue “for decades.”
She claimed the term “islamophobia” was “invented to cover up things so that gullible Europeans could be conditioned into thinking that we could import hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of men.”
Her comments coincide with ongoing debates about pro-Palestine protests in London, where the Metropolitan Police have just imposed restrictions on an upcoming demonstration.
The force has blocked protesters from gathering near a synagogue in central London on January 18, citing risks of “serious disruption” to Shabbat services.
Hirsi Ali joined Matt Goodwin on GB News
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The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has “utterly condemned” these restrictions, stating: “The Palestine coalition rejects the implication that our marches are somehow hostile to or a threat to Jewish people.”
Commander Adam Slonecki said the decision was made “without fear or favour” and was based on “detailed consideration of the evidence.”
The controversy comes as Labour faces criticism for rejecting calls for a national inquiry into grooming gangs.
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has insisted that “the time is long overdue for a full national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal.”
Labour’s safeguarding minister Jess Phillips’s decision to reject Oldham council’s call for a Government-led inquiry has sparked international backlash.
Sir Keir Starmer’s defence of the decision drew further criticism when he labelled those calling for a national inquiry as “far-Right.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced plans for longer prison sentences for child groomers, though critics argue this doesn’t address the core issue of prosecution rates.