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26-11-2023
LONDON: Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in London on Saturday in the latest of a series of protests calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, amid continuing fears over anti-Semitic chants and hate speech.
The Met Police had warned those who gathered at Park Lane for the march to Whitehall that they would not tolerate any behavior supporting terrorism.
Within minutes of the marchers gathering one man was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after officers spotted him carrying a placard with Nazi symbols on it.
Around 1,500 officers were being deployed for the protest, which came amid a temporary truce in the Gaza conflict and the release of 24 hostages by the Hamas terror group.
Officers along the route handed out leaflets to provide “absolute clarity” on what was deemed an offence.
Ade Adelekan, the deputy assistant commissioner, said; “this sets out that anyone who is racist or incites hatred against any group should expect to be arrested. As should anyone who supports Hamas or any other banned organization.
“We will not tolerate anyone who celebrates or promotes acts of terrorism such as the killing or kidnap of innocent people or who spreads hate speech.”
The force had come under severe pressure from politicians over the decision to allow that march to go ahead, with Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, accusing it of showing bias in favor of left-wing protesters.
The Stop the War coalition, who organized the protest, rejected the label of “hate march” deployed by Braverman before she was sacked by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister.
It asked anyone attending to avoid “any actions that might leave you or others around you open to arrest”.
“We ask that all attending our marches respect these clear anti-racist principles, including in any signs or placards they choose to bring to the march,” the group said in a statement.
The march came as the extremist Islamist group Hizb-ut-Tehrir staged a separate protest outside the Egyptian embassy, where chants of “Jihad” have previously been shouted by its supporters.
The Met said; “this will be their first protest since Oct 28 when use of the word jihad prompted significant reaction. Context matters, but it is a word that clearly causes upset and concern.
“If we think people are inciting violence, terrorism or anti-Semitism, we will act decisively.
Ahead of Saturday, Adelekan said chants using the word “jihad” were causing upset and concern in the Jewish community but were “always contextual”.
A 90-minute march organized by the charity Campaign Against Antisemitism is also due to take place on Sunday, with around 40,000-50,000 people expected to attend. (Int’l News Desk)
