Nearly 500 people have been arrested in London after a pro-Palestine protest went ahead despite police pleas to postpone it following Thursday’s attack at a Manchester synagogue.
The Metropolitan Police said 492 individuals were detained during Saturday’s demonstrations, many for showing support for the proscribed group Palestine Action. The force said 297 remain in custody while the rest have been bailed.
The protest, organised by the Defend Our Juries group, drew around 1,000 participants to Trafalgar Square and Whitehall. Organisers said the rally aimed to “oppose genocide and the Palestine Action ban”.
Before the event officially began, six people were arrested for unfurling banners reading “I oppose genocide” and “I support Palestine Action” on Westminster Bridge.
Most arrests occurred in Trafalgar Square, where protesters carried placards supporting Palestine Action, which was proscribed by the UK government in July. Others gathered in Whitehall before attempting to march toward the square.
Many of those detained were older demonstrators. Photographs showed elderly individuals, some with walking sticks or in wheelchairs, being assisted or carried by police officers to designated processing areas.
One protester, 62-year-old Mike Higgins, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, told the PA news agency: “We are going to win this battle, by the way, there’s no doubt about that. The problem for me is that I want to win it now to try and bring an end to the suffering in Palestine.”
The Metropolitan Police had urged organisers to postpone the protest in light of the heightened security alert following the synagogue attack in Manchester, which killed two people.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warned that the protest risked overstretching police resources already deployed to protect Jewish community sites. “Our ability to keep all communities safe is compromised when such large events go ahead at a time of mourning and high alert,” he said.
Despite the warnings, organisers proceeded, arguing that the protest was peaceful and focused on opposing the government’s proscription of Palestine Action.