A crowd of around 1,000 people flocked to central London on Saturday to show support for the pro-Palestinian direct action network, which the United Kingdom government proscribed as a terrorist group in July.
The protest went ahead despite an earlier request from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to call it off, as a mark of respect for the victims of the fatal synagogue attack in the northwestern city of Manchester on Thursday.
The attack happened as the Jewish community was observing Yom Kippur, the holiest day for Judaism.
Two people died after a 35-year-old British man of Syrian descent rammed his car towards the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, before swinging a knife to the worshippers inside, authorities said, noting that the assailant may have been inspired by extremist Islamist ideology.
“I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews,” Starmer wrote on X early Saturday, ahead of the scheduled demonstration at the Trafalgar Square in London.
“This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain. It is a time to stand together,” the PM lamented.
But organisers Defend Our Juries refused to abide by the Starmer’s appeal, noting that plans surrounding the rally had already been settled before Thursday’s attack.
It, however, condemned the incident in Manchester, and urged the authorities to focus on the case, instead of policing the scheduled protest.
Hundreds arrested
Saturday’s demonstration was the latest in a series of protests against the ban on Palestine Action, a 2020-founded group with a stated objective of eradicating international complicity in Israel’s “genocidal and apartheid regime.”
The Starmer government designated the group as terrorists on July 5 under the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000 after its members vandalised Royal Air Force aircraft at the Brize Norton base.
The move made it illegal for anyone to show support or any affiliation with Palestine Action.
According to the British Metropolitan Police, around 488 protesters were arrested during Saturday’s rally for violating the aforementioned mandate, with the youngest person held being 18 and the oldest 89.
Among the reasons for the arrests was unfurling the Palestine Action banner on Westminster Bridge outside parliament.
Six people were held separately on this ground, according to Reuters.
Speaking with the multimedia news outlet at the Trafalgar Square, protester Angie Zelter expressed disgust over the police’s action.
“I’m disgusted by the police actually, they shouldn’t be arresting non-violent protesters here,” she said.
“We have a right to protest and Palestine Action is not a violent organisation, should never have been proscribed in the first place,” she argued.
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Ramification of Israel-Hamas war
The demonstration, and the events leading to it, transpired amid the persisting war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has divided British society throughout its nearly two-year duration.
Following unresolved conflicts that date back to the 20th century, Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023 from the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza Strip, killing around 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to Agence France Presse, citing Israeli official figures.
In retaliation, Israel launched a large-scale offensive that has killed around 66,288 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to health ministry figures in Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.
Since the conflict erupted, various incidents of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate have been reported across Britain, with both the Jewish and Muslim community expressing fears for their safety.
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