Eight people have been arrested as thousands of pro-Palestine protesters took to the streets of London today – some carrying signs apparently praising Hamas and others displaying the swastika.
Police warned pro-Palestine protesters to leave Trafalgar Square or face arrest after demonstrators broke through a police line as they marched from a rally in Whitehall.
Protesters had initially planned to rally around the Broadcasting House on Portland Place to protest alleged bias in the BBC‘s coverage of the conflict in Gaza.
But thousands of demonstrators, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the party’s former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, marched towards Trafalgar Square from Whitehall after speeches were made at the rally.
Protesters met a line of police officers and eventually broke through, with those who made it to the square later finding themselves being held in one corner.
One masked activist stood on top of a police car waving a Palestine flag. It follows the arrest of eight people at the rally earlier on in the protest.
Members of the public found themselves caught up in the demonstration. One person who asked a police officer why people could not move was told: “Because it’s an illegal march at the moment.”
‘The group that forced its way through the police line is now held at the north-west corner of Trafalgar Square,’ the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
Police try to bring to an end a rally by Pro-Palestine supporters which had taken place earlier in Whitehall but has spilled into Trafalgar Squar
Police officers talking to a person during a national march for Palestine
Protesters breach a police line whilst taking part in a national march for Palestine on Whitehall, London
Police arrest a woman after pro-Palestine protesters gather on Whitehall in central London
Protesters met a line of police officers and eventually broke through, with those who made it to the square later finding themselves being held in one corner
‘Anyone in that group should now disperse and leave the area. Anyone remaining in breach of the conditions, or inciting further breaches, will be arrested.’
Over five thousand joined the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) demonstration today despite Israeli war cabinet agreeing to a deal which will establish a ceasefire in the Gaza strip from Sunday.
One sign displayed the Swastika above the Israeli flag, appearing to draw comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany, accusing both of being ‘child-killers’.
According to the government-adopted International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-semitism, ‘drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis’ is anti-semitic.
Other anti-semitic signs included those displaying support for Hamas a proscribed terror group, and those referring to conspiracy theories suggesting ‘Zionist control’ of the government and the media.
The Met Police have made eight arrests for offences including support for proscribed organisations.
A man was arrested on suspicion of holding a placard suggesting support for banned organisations, while four people were arrested on suspicion of public order offences and three others on suspicion of breaching conditions put in place for the protest.
One of the conditions prevents anyone involved in the protest from entering a specific area around Portland Place.
Three pro-Palestine protesters being arrested near the BBC’s Broadcasting House on Portland Place
Over five thousand joined the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) demonstration in London today
The protest was originally planned to take place outside the Broadcasting House but this was blocked by the Met Police due to its close proximity to a synagogue
One sign displayed the Swastika above the Israeli flag, appearing to draw comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany, accusing both of being ‘child-killers’
A masked protester wearing a Celtic football tracksuit has been handcuffed by police and escorted away from the protes
Pro-Palestinian activists demonstrate on Whitehall in London demanding the end of Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip and for the British government to end to all arms trade with Israel
Thousands of Palestine supporters demonstrate despite police banning the previously agreed route and imposing severe restrictions on Whitehall Street
Former Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks at the rally
Eight people have been arrested at the protest being held in Whitehall, London
Police have now warned protesters who ‘forced’ their way through a police line and are now being held in Trafalgar Square they must disperse
Protesters held signs that read ‘Gaza. Stop the massacre’ and ‘Stop arming Israel’, with a large group of people having marched from Trafalgar Square holding a banner that said ‘Labour, Tories, BBC. You show Russia’s crimes but hide Israel’s. Why?’
Many of the protesters at the demonstration carried signs criticising the BBC and suggesting Israeli influence over the broadcaster.
A masked protester wearing a Celtic football tracksuit was seen being handcuffed by police and escorted away from the PSC rally in Whitehall, with a large group following with megaphones and chanting: ‘Let him go.’
Also at Saturday’s protest, a woman was laid on the ground as a group of police officers appeared to be detaining her, prompting a large crowd to surround the officers and shout ‘you’re a disgrace’, ‘shame on you’ and ‘let her go’.
A minor scuffle broke out as police attempted to push protesters away before officers took the woman behind some barriers while people continued to chant ‘let her go’.
Taking to X, the Met Police wrote: ‘Officers are actively looking at banners and placards to spot where people cross the line from political speech into criminality.’
The force added that a woman had been arrested on Friday for inciting others to breach the force’s restrictions.
A 61-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of inciting others to breach Public Order Act conditions after she was allegedly heard at a rally on January 10 encouraging other protesters to do so, police said.
The Met has now added that around 20-30 people who breached the conditions in Trafalgar Square are being arrested.
Police make arrests outside of the Broadcasting House on Portland Place
The Met Police announced on Thursday it would use its powers under the Public Order Act to prevent the demonstrators gathering in Portland Place and nearby area
Thousands of demonstrators marched towards Trafalgar Square from Whitehall
Pro-Palestinian activists demonstrate on Whitehall in London
Protesters carried signs reading ‘courage is made in Palestine’
Police officers detain a person taking part in a national march for Palestine in central London
A woman being arrested during the pro-Palestine protests in central London this afternoon
The Met said further investigations into other allegations of inciting people to breach conditions are ongoing.
Prior to the protest, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said more than 1,100 officers were due to be deployed, with 200 coming from other forces.
Questioned on whether the Met was putting a ring of steel around Broadcasting House, he said: ‘I wouldn’t describe it as a ring of steel.
‘What I would describe it as is a visible presence of officers in and around the BBC/Portland Place area and surrounding streets.
‘Firstly, their role is to engage with people, make sure people understand the conditions that are around there, and generally do their policing duties as they would do every day.
‘If anyone is considering breaching those conditions, we have brought officers in from other forces, eight other forces, to assist – so we have got significant forces to enforce any breaches of conditions.’
Having ‘considered the likely impact of the PSC’s plans’, the Met Police announced on Thursday it would use its powers under the Public Order Act to prevent the demonstrators gathering in Portland Place and nearby area.
Police have powers under the Act to insisted the route of a protest march should be altered to prevent ‘intimidation, serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community’.
More than 1,100 officers are due to be deployed for the protest, with 200 coming from other forces
Pro-Israel activists stage a counter-rally to a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Whitehall in London
The Met said further investigations into other allegations of inciting people to breach conditions are ongoing
The Metropolitan Police denied putting a ‘ring of steel’ around Broadcasting House
The Met Police announced on Thursday it would use its powers under the Public Order Act to prevent the demonstrators gathering in Portland Place and nearby area
The PSC described the Met’s conditions as ‘repressive’, saying: ‘We reiterate our call for the police to lift the repressive restrictions they have imposed and allow us to march’
In a statement, the police said it had considered the ‘cumulative impact’ of regular protests over a prolonged period that have taken place on Saturdays and ‘on numerous occasions’ in the vicinity of synagogues.
The force said it acknowledged the planned protest had been ‘a cause of increased concern for many Jewish Londoners’ and the it could have brought ‘serious disruption.’
On Thursday, senior Conservative MP Bob Blackman said those who defy police orders by deliberately gathering outside a synagogue should face the ‘full force of the law’.
The PSC described the Met’s conditions as ‘repressive’, saying: ‘We reiterate our call for the police to lift the repressive restrictions they have imposed and allow us to march.
‘If they continue to refuse to do so and prevent us from marching, we will rally on Whitehall in protest.’
In a statement, Campaign Against Antisemitism claimed pro-Palestine marches posed a ‘threat’ to synagogues.
A spokesperson said: ‘It is shameful that the Met has refused to act on that threat all this time and is mustering a show of strength only now that it appears that the war might be ending.
‘The least that it can do is see this tokenistic gesture through and finally limit these marches to static protests, as we have been urging for over a year.’
In its own statement, charity Community Security Trust, which aims to provide safety to Jewish people, said of the planned protest: ‘We have been working closely with the police and with affected Jewish community locations to put sufficient security in place so that services and other activities can go ahead in safety tomorrow.’
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