EPAThousands of pro-Palestinian supporters took part in demonstrations in central London.
The rally was the latest UK protest organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) since the start of the Gaza war in 2023, and was held after Israel and Hamas agreed a ceasefire and hostage release deal. .
The static rally in Whitehall was held after police thwarted organizers’ plans to march from Portland Place, near the BBC’s headquarters.
A total of 77 people were arrested, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement, of which more than 60 were people who broke conditions by breaking through police lines and gathering in Trafalgar Square.
Police prevented protesters from gathering outside the broadcast station because it was close to a synagogue and could cause “significant disruption” as participants attended Jewish holy day services. was.
The demonstration in Whitehall began largely uneventfully, but arrests were made for a number of public order offenses earlier in the day. One was arrested on suspicion of displaying a placard suggesting support for a banned group, and the other on suspicion of displaying a combination of a swastika and an Israeli flag.
A group of demonstrators, believed to be more than 1,000, then attempted to march from the rally, but were stopped a short distance away as they broke through police lines and converged on Trafalgar Square.
The square was cordoned off by police vans and officers. Demonstrators were instructed to disperse and leave the area. However, some remained and were arrested for violating the conditions.
Earlier, the Met announced that three people had been arrested on suspicion of breaching conditions near the BBC.
In total, 65 people were arrested for breaching conditions: five for public order offences, two for obstructing police operations, one for supporting a prohibited organization, one for inciting racial hatred, one for common assault and one for common assault. Person assaults emergency worker, one person arrested. For sexual assault.
Commander Adam Slonecki, who led the security operation, said: “The situation could not be clearer. The protesters remained in Whitehall and did not march towards the BBC.”
He added: “It is extremely disappointing to see a deliberate effort by the organizers of the demonstrations to join in and break the terms and march from Whitehall.”
A smaller counter-demonstration involving pro-Israel supporters also took place near Whitehall, while other pro-Palestinian demonstrators demonstrated in Belfast and Londonderry.
EPAThe Met said in a post on X ahead of the rally that demonstrators who entered designated areas near the BBC were “committing a criminal offense and may be subject to arrest”.
Demonstrators at the Whitehall protest could also be seen holding placards saying things like “Gaza. Stop the massacre” and “Stop giving arms to Israel.”
Meanwhile, one banner read: “Labour, the Conservative Party, the BBC. You are hiding Israeli crimes while showing Russian crimes. Why?”
The PSC welcomed the ceasefire agreement, but said it had concerns about whether it would hold and was considering the possibility of further demonstrations.
PA media
PA mediaThe PSC described the conditions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as “oppressive” and called for force to lift them.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said in a statement that the march posed a “threat” to synagogues.
A spokesperson said it was “shameful that the Metropolitan Transport Authority refused to act on that threat” until the latest rally, adding that police said: “As we have been saying for over a year, ultimately These marches should be limited to static protests,” he added.
On October 7, 2023, hundreds of Hamas fighters stormed Israel’s southern border, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages back to Gaza.
More than 46,700 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Israeli military response, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
