Twenty Arrested as Thousands March for Palestine in London
The Metropolitan Police made 20 arrests at Saturday’s national march from the Embankment to Whitehall, including for climbing the Battle of Britain memorial, carrying Palestine Action placards, making a Nazi salute and assaulting officers. Organisers put attendance at 250,000. It was the first national march since Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, declared Israel’s occupation of the West Bank unlawful in its entirety.
The Palestinian ambassador, Husam Zomlot, wrote: “Three years on, Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank continue, and so does the solidarity of the British people.” The Met imposed conditions on the route and timings and used Public Order Act powers to require face coverings to be removed. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Carl Galvin said the march’s closeness to the anniversary of 7 October gave it “the potential to have a greater impact on communities than the previous national marches”. About 30 counter-protesters gathered outside New Scotland Yard. The diplomatic backdrop has hardened: Britain has sanctioned trade with settlements, and Israel has responded by trying to close the British consulate in Jerusalem.