After 80,000 converge on London for rival demos… 43 are arrested but Met’s £4.5million ring of steel keeps the peace
Police arrested 43 people on Saturday in a crackdown on hatemongers as 80,000 protesters at rival demonstrations brought chaos to central London.
Nearly 4,000 police officers were deployed in a steel ring following a £4.5m operation to tackle the Unite the Kingdom rally and a pro-Palestinian march led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Fears of violence did not materialize as the number of protesters at both rallies was significantly less than at previous demonstrations.
Although the Unite the Kingdom meeting met in Parliament Square, 900 meters from the pro-Palestinian rally on Pall Mall, the two groups were separated by a number of police vans and riot police.
Some participants in the annual pro-Palestinian ‘Nakba Day’ march, which marks the displacement of Palestinians during the founding of Israel in 1948, chanted ‘Death to the IDF’ despite Keir Starmer vowing to crack down on protesters who shout or display anti-Semitic slogans. [Israel Defence Forces]’.
One woman shouted ‘Dismantle the Zionist settler state’, while another protester waved a banner with the slogan ‘Martyrs do not die’ and a red inverted triangle, a symbol of support for Hamas.
Police said they were looking for a man carrying a sign that said ‘Hang up all ZOG pads’. Zog – Zionist Occupied Government – is an anti-Semitic slogan claiming that Jews control Western politics.
Former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn attended the march and denied there was any “anti-Semitic undercurrent”. Offensive slogans about God were also heard at the Unite the Kingdom march.
Police set up a blockade as Unite the Kingdom protesters gathered on London’s Kingsway on Saturday morning
A protester carries a fake key reading ‘we will return’ during a pro-Palestinian march marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba
Police estimated that 60,000 protesters attended Robinson’s rally, while as many as 20,000 attended the pro-Palestinian protest.
The Met’s operation on Saturday involved 660 officers from other forces, along with mounted officers, dogs, helicopters and drones.
Armored vehicles were put on standby and targeted known troublemakers with live facial recognition.
Crowds chanted ‘Keir Starmer sucks’ at UK rally. Robinson called on protesters to get involved in local politics, saying: ‘Are you ready for a battle of Britain? ‘We have an election in 2029.’
Justice Minister David Lammy accused the march organizers of “spreading hatred”.
Additional reporting: Adam Pogrund and Andy Crick
