EXCLUSIVE: Pro-Hezbollah placards openly displayed at latest Palestine demo
Jewish News confronts group of females at PSC protest holding banners defending proscribed group
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Protesters attending Saturday’s pro-Palestine demo in central London openly displayed placards expressing support for the proscribed terror group Hezbollah, Jewish News can reveal.
A group of female attendees assembled across the road from Russell Square tube station, where the march organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and other groups begun, held aloft self-made pro-Hezbollah banners.
One read “Hezbollah are NOT terrorists” – even though the Lebanese Shia Islamist group, who have repeatedly launched barrages of missiles into Israel has been proscribed as a terror organisation in this country since 2019.
Another banner praised the group’s late secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in an airstrike in Beirut last month. It declared: “Nasrallah is NOT a terrorist!”
Meanwhile a third cardboard banner held by another female simply read: “I (heart sign) Hezbollah.”
When Jewish News confronted the females holding the banners to ask why they were showing support for a terror organisation a women replied: “All Shia around the world are Hezbollah.” She also denied Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation, adding: ”Israel is the terrorist.”
When faced with the charge that Hezbollah and Hamas are responsible for the murder of innocent people, she replied: “You kill innocent people.”
Later two men approached Jewish News and said: “We know what you are doing – they don’t want their photos anywhere.”
Another man, dressed in what looked like a Palestinian terrorist uniform, also approached and took a photograph of the Jewish News reporters.
While there were no visible police officers close to where the females displayed their banners, several stewards working for the PSC-led demo could clearly see the messages of support for a terror organisation.
When Jewish News asked one steward, wearing a yellow organisers bib, to identify herself, whether she thought it OK for protesters to express support for a banned group such as Hezbollah, she shrugged her shoulders.
Saturday’s march again attracted large crowds, many of whom attended to express genuine concern about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and now Lebanon as Israel’s war with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran continues to escalate.
Russell Square tube station is ill-prepared to accommodate large crowds, and had to be closed for a time as over-crowding threatened to become a problem as protesters arrived for the midday start.
While the conduct of those inside the station was polite and good-natured, outside the pockets of extremism were quickly apparent.
Jewish News approached a group of males dressed head to toe in black uniforms, that gave every appearance of being those worn by hardline Palestine terror group.
The males were joined by a group of females who continually chanted “Resistance is justified.”
When Jewish News approached the men to ask them to clarify what they meant by “resistance being justified” they refused to respond.
Ask again to clarify the chant, two of the men walked towards a police office and complained about being asked to speak to some who said they were a journalist.
Jewish News approached the officer to explain why they men had been approached, especially as they were dressed in their distinctive uniforms while chanting about “resistance”.
The officer told the men to continue on their way, while also telling Jewish News to “just ignore them.”
The demo gathered at Russell Square to march to Whitehall where there will be speeches from pro-Palestine campaigners including Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana and Humza Yousaf.
Elsewhere, Amnon Baron Cohen, brother of the comedian Sasha, was seen on the demo speaking with attendees and attempting to sell newspapers for the Trotskyist Socialist Party he is a leading figure with.
Jewish News has contacted the Met Police to provide evidence of the support for Hezbollah at the demo.
In statement on X, the Met said: “We’re aware of posts showing people holding placards with messages of support for Hezbollah. The images have been passed to officers, including those monitoring our cameras.
“The crowds today are significant in size and density. What is easy to spot when walking among the crowd with a mobile phone is not always easy for officers to see from the edge of the crowd.
“We are working to locate those involved. Action will be taken when we do, whether that is today or in the coming days.
“We would urge those who see these incidents and take photos of them to also tell officers nearby so we can intervene immediately.”
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