London police conflict with counter-protesters as tensions rise over a pro-Palestinian peace march
LONDON — Palestinian supporters marched peacefully via central London on Saturday, at the same time as right-wing counter-protesters clashed with police, after per week of indignant debate over whether or not to allow the demonstration on a day when Britain honored its warfare lifeless.
The day unfolded in a backdrop of tensions fueled by Home Secretary Suella Braverman who earlier this week characterised pro-Palestinian demonstrations as “hate marches” and referred to as for Saturday’s occasion to be blocked out of respect for Armistice Day occasions marking the top of World War I.
The skirmishes between police and counter-protesters carrying the Union flag of Great Britain and the red-and-white flag of England appeared to substantiate the issues that Braverman’s feedback would entice right-wing components in search of an excuse to confront the pro-Palestinian marchers.
The march was apparently the most important in London for the reason that begin of the battle, with lots of of hundreds snaking via the town from Hyde Park to the U.S. Embassy about 3 miles (5 kilometers) away.
London police arrested 82 folks to stop a breach of the peace. The power mentioned they have been a part of a gaggle of counter-protesters attempting to succeed in the primary protest march.
Braverman, who oversees legislation enforcement in Britain, should now resign, mentioned Humza Yousaf, the primary minister of Scotland.
“The far-right has been emboldened by the Home Secretary,” Yousaf mentioned on X, previously referred to as Twitter. “She has spent her week fanning the flames of division. They are now attacking the Police on Armistice Day. The Home Secretary’s position is untenable.”
More than 2,000 officers, some referred to as in from surrounding forces, will probably be on the streets of the capital this weekend to make to make sure marchers obey the legislation and to stop potential confrontations with counter protesters, the Metropolitan Police Service mentioned.
Police are additionally taking steps to reassure the Jewish neighborhood, which has been focused by a surge in antisemitic incidents since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and Israeli forces responded with strikes and sending troops into the Gaza Strip.
“We know the cumulative impact continued protest, increasing tensions, and rising hate crimes are having across London and the fear and anxiety our Jewish communities in particular are feeling,” the police mentioned in a press release. “They have a right to feel safe in their city, knowing they can travel across London without feeling afraid of intimidation or harassment.”
The legislation enforcement operation comes after Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley resisted stress from political leaders to ban the march.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Braverman have additionally expressed concern that the protests might spill over into Sunday, when King Charles III and the prime ministers of Commonwealth nations will lay wreaths on the nationwide warfare memorial, referred to as the Cenotaph.
The commemoration occasions are “sacred” to Britain and must be a time for unity and “solemn reflection,” Sunak mentioned in a press release earlier than Saturday’s occasions acquired underway.
“It is because of those who fought for this country and for the freedom we cherish that those who wish to protest can do so, but they must do so respectfully and peacefully,” Sunak mentioned.
While Sunak and Braverman’s feedback have been directed at pro-Palestinian protesters, critics had mentioned they risked sparking confrontations between the marchers and far-right teams.
Of most concern have been Braverman’s feedback suggesting that London police had been extra lenient towards pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Black Lives Matter supporters than right-wing protesters or soccer hooligans. Braverman mentioned the Metropolitan Police power was ignoring lawbreaking by “pro-Palestinian mobs.”
On Saturday, fights broke out close to the Cenotaph between police and right-wing protesters chanting “England till I die.″ Police used batons to stop the protesters, and ceremonies at the memorial weren’t interrupted. Other clashes took place in other parts of the city, including Chinatown and near the Houses of Parliament.
Following the confrontation near the Cenotaph, police said the counter-protesters were not a single group and officers were tracking them as they moved away into other parts of London. If they attempted to attack the pro-Palestinian march, “we will use all the powers and tactics available to us to prevent that from happening,” police mentioned.
Organizers of the pro-Palestinian march say they’ve taken steps to make sure it doesn’t battle with Armistice Day occasions. The march is scheduled to start simply after noon, greater than an hour after the nation noticed a two-minute silence, and it’ll observe a route from Hyde Park to the U.S. Embassy that doesn’t go close to the Cenotaph.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, mentioned the marchers are calling for an finish to the bombing of Gaza, and he criticized Braverman for characterizing the protesters as extremists who have been going to desecrate the Cenotaph. The group has sponsored marches each Saturday in London for the reason that warfare started.
“We said to the police we did not want to be anywhere near Whitehall on Nov. 11: we did not want to disrupt preparations for the commemoration of remembrance on the Sunday,” Jamal instructed the BBC. “It is inconceivable, unless she doesn’t speak to the police, that the home secretary did not know that when she made her remarks.”
But police have gone additional, declaring an exclusion zone across the Cenotaph and stationing a 24-hour guard across the memorial, amid issues that some protesters could search to deface it. Protesters have additionally been barred from the streets across the Israeli Embassy, close to the beginning of the march, and a few areas subsequent to the U.S. Embassy.
Police additionally mentioned they’d take steps to stop convoys of autos touring to the march from driving via Jewish communities. In previous years, convoys carrying individuals who waved flags and shouted antisemitic abuse induced “significant concern, fear and upset,” the power mentioned.
Laurence Taylor, the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner, mentioned police would possible have to make use of power to handle a number of the confrontations that happen over the weekend.
“We are aware there will be counter-protests, as well as a lot of people who would ordinarily come to London to mark their respect on Armistice Day, on Remembrance Sunday,” he mentioned. “That means we need a large and robust policing plan in place.”
