On Saturday, approximately 300,000 people marched in London to demand a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict. The protest, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, was reportedly the largest demonstration of its kind in the UK since the start of the war, according to the Guardian. Meanwhile, counter-protesters, comprising far-right groups, made up the “vast majority” of 126 arrests that took place on November 13th. Most of which were made in order to “prevent a breach of the peace.” Clashes were reportedly reported at the Cenotaph, the place of 103-year-old war memorial, and in Chinatown.
The prime minister Rishi Sunak has made a statement condemning “violent, wholly unacceptable” actions by the far-right group and “Hamas sympathisers.” In addition, the statement said that “all criminality must be met with the full and swiftly force of the law.” Sunak further added that the clashes “utterly disrespects” the honour of the Armed Forces. As the issue of the protest and policing has aroused immense debate, the Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Matt Twist reported that “community tensions” had increased by the week’s intense protests and debated issues.
Scotland Yard has stated that more than 80 counter-protesters were arrested to avoid a breach of peace. Ten other people were arrested for possessing offensive weapons, affray and drug possession, according to the BBC. The police added that many of the counter-protesters who were detained were related to football hooliganism, and some had previous convictions for football violence.
The Israel-Palestine conflict, which has been going on since 1948, has flared up again in recent months. The Israeli offensive into the Gaza Strip has caused hundreds of deaths and injuries, the displacement of tens of thousands of people, and significant damage to infrastructure. Several protests have been held worldwide to demand a ceasefire. The UK has been among the countries with large-scale demonstrations, which have led to cases of violence as well as the arrest of dozens of people for “public disorder offences” during the protests
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