From the Liveblog of
Saturday, February 17, 2024
London cops arrest 12, including 2 for antisemitic posters, at anti-Israel march
LONDON — Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters march in London, with police making 12 arrests for alleged offenses including inciting racial hatred and assaulting emergency workers.
The demonstrators gathered at Park Lane in the center of the British capital holding banners demanding a “ceasefire now” while chanting “free Palestine.”
“People are very, very concerned that there’s going to be a disaster piled upon an already existing disaster in Rafah,” John Rees, from Stop the War Coalition, tell AFP. “What I hope is that we can avert this tragedy being made permanent.”
London’s Metropolitan Police say 12 people were arrested, including two for displaying antisemitic placards.
“A man was seen in the crowd with an antisemitic placard. When officers went in to arrest him they were assaulted, resulting in six arrests,” the force posts on X, formerly Twitter.
Officers have made nine further arrests during an incident at Hyde Park Corner.
A man was seen in the crowd with an antisemitic placard. He has been arrested for inciting racial hatred.
When officers went in to arrest him they were assaulted, resulting in six arrests for… pic.twitter.com/d9pnfKQ6cd
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) February 17, 2024
Two other people were arrested for refusing to remove face coverings when required to do so, while another person was arrested on suspicion of support for a proscribed organization in relation to a placard.
