300,000 claimed for London pro-Palestine march, as 17 arrested
A pro-Israel memorial to the 7/10 massacre is due on Sunday in Hyde Park
Last updated 6th Oct 2024
There have been seventeen arrests at a major rally in central London to mark a year since a major uptick in violence in the Middle East.
Saturday's protest, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and other groups, involved a march from Russell Square via Aldwych to Whitehall where speeches took place. A counter-protest along the route was organised by a group called Stop the Hate.
The march was called to protest what the PSC called 'one year of genocide' in Gaza. Organisers want an arms embargo placed on Israel, which says it is trying to root out terrorists in Gaza belonging to the Hamas group, and rescue around 100 remaining hostages taken by Hamas during a killing spree.
Eight arrests at the protest were for public order offences (four of these were said to be racially aggravated).
Three were for assaulting an emergency worker, three for common assault, two for supporting a proscribed organisation, and one for breaching Public Order Act conditions.
The PSC says 300,000 people joined the march. The police did not give an estimate, but say turnout appeared to be greater than for other recent protests.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.
The police say the incident happened when he tried to get past officers who had formed a cordon to stop any groups breaking away from the main protest.
Another person was arrested in relation to the same incident.
The arrest for indicating support for a proscribed organisation was for a man in Whitehall wearing what police thought looked like a parachute.
Counter-protest
A counter protest formed at the junction of Kingsway and Aldwych.
A line of officers and stewards ensured that the two groups were kept apart as the main march moves past.
Another small counter protest formed at the junction of the Strand and Trafalgar Square, right on the route of the main march.
The Met say this was away from the pre-agreed counter protest area. Officers formed a cordon between the groups. The force says to prevent disorder, conditions were imposed under the Public Order Act requiring the counter protesters to move back onto Trafalgar Square.
The police say a small group that broke away from the main protest was intercepted trying to approach behind the counter protest at Aldwych. Three people were arrested after officers intervened.
Hezbollah placards
The Met say they're aware of posts showing people holding placards with messages of support for Hezbollah, the Lebanese political movement and militant group that has wanted to see Israel eliminated since the country invaded southern Lebanon in the 1980s. Hezbollah is regarded as a terrorist organisation by the British government.
The force says images have been passed to officers, including those monitoring its cameras. It says the crowds on Saturday were significant in size and density, so what is easy to spot when walking among the crowd with a mobile phone is not always easy for officers to see from the edge of the crowd. It says it is working to locate those involved, and action will be taken when they do, in the coming days. The force is urging those who see such placards these to take photos of them to also tell officers nearby so they can intervene immediately.
On Sunday afternoon, a memorial event organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and other groups will take place in Hyde Park.
Antisemitism and Islamophobia
The Met Police say they are not aware of any significant public events on Monday, the anniversary of the October 7th attacks, but it they think it is likely that there will be a number of events and gatherings of various sizes taking place across London.
The police say they have seen a significant increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crime offences in the past year. While the majority have taken place in communities, they say they have continued to see behaviour at protests which crosses the line from political speech into hate speech.
The majority have acted lawfully and peacefully, but the Met say they have continued to see and hear language on placards and banners, and in chants, as well as at or by counter-protest groups, which the force says is unacceptable and unlawful.