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Woman charged after eggs allegedly thrown at pro-Israel protesters outside Hackney Town Hall
A 65-year-old woman will appear in court after police alleged eggs were thrown at demonstrators during Hackney’s Haifa de-twinning protest
A 65-year-old woman has been charged after eggs were allegedly thrown at pro-Israel protesters outside Hackney Town Hall during a demonstration over plans to end the borough’s twinning agreement with the Israeli city of Haifa.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “At around 18:45hrs on Tuesday, 28 July, officers in attendance at a protest outside Hackney Town Hall on Mare Street, E8, arrested a 65-year-old woman on suspicion of assault and an offence under Section 5 of the Public Order Act. It followed reports that eggs had been thrown at a number of individuals.”
The force said that on Wednesday, Chiara Lauvergnac, 65, of Harrowgate Road, Hackney, was charged with three counts of assault by beating and one count of using threatening and abusive words and behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress.
She has been bailed to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 27 August.
The incident happened outside Hackney Town Hall after councillors voted to begin the formal process of ending the borough’s 58-year twinning agreement with the Israeli city of Haifa.
Members of the anti-antisemitism campaign group Our Fight had gathered to oppose the Green-led council’s decision, while pro-Palestinian demonstrators also assembled outside the meeting.
Video shared by Our Fight appeared to show a woman shouting abuse before eggs were thrown towards the group’s supporters.
Hackney’s vote does not immediately end its twinning arrangement with Haifa but begins the formal process of considering its termination. This includes consulting the Mayor of Haifa, carrying out an equality impact assessment and establishing a cross-party working group before councillors take a final decision.
The proposal has been criticised by Jewish organisations and community leaders, who argue that ending links with Haifa – a city widely regarded as a model of Jewish-Arab coexistence – risks damaging relations with Hackney’s Jewish community.
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