Two men arrested after antisemitic abuse heard at Trafalgar Square rally
Met Police also confirm 10 arrests after Saturday's pro-Palestine protests in London, with man in his 20s arrested after Whitehall 'racist abuse' video
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated public order offences after they were heard shouting antisemitic abuse near to Sunday’s communal rally in Trafalgar Square in support of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas.
Meanwhile a man was arrested after a video was shared online of him shouting racist abuse in Whitehall, central London at the main pro-Palestine demo on Saturday.
Footage shared on Twitter showed him waving a black and white Islamic flag, although this was not linked to any banned organisation.
The Metropolitan Police later confirmed 10 arrests had been made after demos in support of the Palestinians on Saturday, which had been organised by groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
During Sunday’s Bring Them Home vigil, which attracted a huge turn-out, mainly from within the community, footage posted on social media showed Metropolitan Police officers pinning down a man to the ground and hand-cuffing him, before he was led away to a waiting van.
Jewish News understands that one of the two arrests at the vigil, which was led by the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Leadership Council and the United Jewish Israel Appeal, took place after a man began to shout out antisemitic abuse while organisers were reading out the names of the 200 people kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.
Police officers also made a further arrest when an individual was heard to make anti-Jewish remarks from a nearby car.
The Community Security Trust were also involved in the massive security operation around Sunday’s Bring Them Home demo, which the Board later said had attracted up to 15, 000 people to the capital’s famous landmark.
At one stage during the demo, officers were seen chasing away a small group of youths who had attempted to unveil a Palestinian flag.
There were cries of “arrest them” and “apologists” from some at the demo directed towards officers, although it is unclear what offence had been committed as the young males ran away from police.
As the rally concluded and people were leaving, some youths appeared and tainted those leaving with the Palestinian flag.. pic.twitter.com/014g0xyEaf
— Chris Hobbs (@obbsie) October 22, 2023
In a statement after Sunday’s vigil, the Met confirmed:”There were two arrests during last night’s vigil.
Two men were arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated public order offences after they were hearing shouting antisemitic abuse nearby. ”
Meanwhile, it was also confirmed that 10 people had been arrested during, and after Saturday’s massive pro-Palestinian protest in the central London.
The Met said the arrests were for public order offences, and another for assaulting an emergency worker.
It was also confirmed that a man in his 20s was arrested after a video was shared of him shouting racist abuse in Whitehall, at the demo on Saturday.Footage shared on Twitter shows him waving a black and white flag and chanting outside Whitehall on Saturday.
“Yesterday this man was filmed shouting racist abuse in Whitehall,” the police said in a statement, later confirming he had been arrested and taken into custody.
An estimated 100,000 people attended the pro-Palestine demonstration, with the procession travelling from Marble Arch to Whitehall and Parliament Square.
Many held up placards reading “Free Palestine” and chanted “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free”.
But another sign help aloft by an unidentified person on the same demo openly expressed support for Hamas.
The Met have subsequently come under pressure for their failure to make arrests at a smaller demo on Saturday, organised by the Hizb ut-Tahrir group at which a speaker repeatedly chanted “jihad” as he urged the “Muslim armies” to “rescue the people of Palestine.”
Another speaker at the event, which took place close to the main London demo, said:”What is the solution to liberate people from the concentration camp called Palestine?”
Appearing on Sky News on Sunday, Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said chanting “Jihad” on the streets of London was “inciting terrorist violence”.
Police were to be asked to explain the response to pro-Palestine protesters chanting “jihad” at a meeting between Suella Braverman and Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.
The home secretary will urge Scotland Yard chief Sir Mark Rowley to use the “full force of the law” after video emerged of a pro-Palestinian protester chanting “jihad”.
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