Tens of thousands took part in the latest pro-Palestinian rally seen in London in recent weeks on Saturday, as a ‘breakaway’ group of demonstrators setting off flares faced off with police in central London.
According to a report by Express, the Metropolitan Police said officers stopped a group marching up Whitehall near Trafalgar Square. “They were setting off flares which on previous weekends have been used against officers,” the Met said in a statement on Twitter.
They’ve been detained to be searched under Section 60 of the Public Order Act. In addition, conditions under Section 12 of the Public Order Act have now been imposed preventing any further march, that we know will cause disruption.”
Earlier, a clip showed large numbers of police vehicles in the West End, and officers at the scene confirmed: “There are no longer any groups on Whitehall or Trafalgar Square.”
In response, members of the public voiced their concerns about the ongoing situation, with one saying: “Hate marches every weekend. London a no-go area.”
More than 1,500 officers, including hundreds from other UK police forces, were deployed to ensure the safety of protesters and the wider public.
As of Saturday evening, there were a total of 18 arrests for a variety of offences, including one man arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after officers spotted him carrying a placard with swastikas on.
Officers also dealt with an incident in a pub on Whitehall next to the cordon and a man was arrested on suspicion of common assault.
Earlier, protesters marched from Hyde Park to the Israeli embassy, holding placards and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans. Organisers said they wanted to raise awareness of the “Nakba” when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled or fled from their homes during Israel’s creation in 1948.
Samira Abed, a protester who attended with her family, said: “We are here today to commemorate the Nakba, an ongoing injustice continuing to this day. Palestinians continue to be murdered with impunity and the UK government continues to be complicit.”
However, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Community Security Trust condemned the use of “inflammatory and offensive” language by some protesters.
They said: “Comparing Israel to Nazi Germany or apartheid South Africa is designed to incite hatred by portraying Israel as violently oppressing innocent Palestinians, when the conflict is far more complex.”
The groups added: “People are free to criticise Israeli policy without being antisemitic, but far too often these marches descend into racism, antisemitism and calls to destroy Israel.”
Ahead of Saturday’s demonstration, police handed out leaflets to provide “absolute clarity” on what is deemed an offence.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: “I would like to acknowledge the overwhelming majority who came into London today and exercised their right to protest lawfully. Regrettably, there was still a small minority who believed the law did not apply to them.”
He added: “Investigations into other offences are already under way and will continue in the coming days. We will be using our network of CCTV cameras as well as body worn video footage to gather further evidence.”
The Met’s Gold Commander also thanked the Met officers, as well as all partner agencies for their help in managing the event.
Pro-Palestinian protests have been held in London and other British cities every weekend since renewed fighting broke out in October between Israel and militants in Gaza.
