Following his arrest at a pro-Palestine march in London on Saturday, a 67-year-old man has been charged with intentionally causing racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress, according to the Met Police. The man is alleged to have made racist comments towards people gathered in Whitehall and a police officer. The accused will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 2 November.
The Met Police have disclosed limited information about the racial abuse the man is alleged to have made. They stated: “The man was arrested after shouting racial abuse at those gathered in Whitehall and making similar racist comments to an officer who spoke with him. The man was in possession of a UK flag. This was in no way the reason for his arrest and forms no part of the charges against him.”
Meanwhile, Scotland Yard is appealing for help in identifying two women who were present at the protest and may have committed a public order offence. One of them was wearing a red top with a white neckline, a light blue face mask, and was carrying a purple bag. The other woman was wearing a dark coat and had an image of a paraglider attached to her back.
The London march was part of a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that took place worldwide over the weekend, as tensions continue in Gaza. Scotland Yard said that 15 people were arrested for alleged offences at the London protest, including assaults on emergency workers and setting off fireworks in a public place.
In a separate development, the London Metropolitan Police faced criticism on social media after a now-deleted tweet, released on Friday, urged supporters of a free Palestine not to engage in “racist, sexist and abusive” behaviour. Many Twitter users accused the force of trying to silence legitimate protests and replied with messages containing the hashtag #FreePalestine
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