London police arrest 442 at anti-Israel protest, held despite pleas from cops, gov’t

LONDON — London police arrested over 440 protesters for supporting a banned pro-Palestinian group at a demonstration on Saturday, which went ahead despite requests to call it off after a deadly terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester during Yom Kippur.

Congregation members Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed in the attack — the latter accidentally shot by an armed officer — in the northwestern English city on Thursday. Three other men are hospitalized with serious injuries.

Police shot dead the terrorist, a British man of Syrian descent who counter-terrorism police said may have been inspired by extremist Islamist ideology. The attacker was on bail over an alleged rape but had not been charged.

Organizers refused requests by the police and government to call off Saturday’s demonstration, which had been announced before the attack, to protest against the banning of the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws.

Police said they had made 442 arrests at London’s Trafalgar Square after several hours — around half the number arrested at a similar protest in September.

Calling for calm on X on Saturday morning, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognize and respect the grief of British Jews.”

“This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain. It is a time to stand together,” he said.

Police arrested protesters in Trafalgar Square in central London as they wrote slogans on placards declaring support for Palestine Action, which was proscribed in July after members broke into an airbase and damaged military planes.

Hundreds gathered for the protest, applauding and cheering those arrested as they were carried through the crowd by police without resisting. Onlookers chanted “shame on you” at officers.

“I’m disgusted by the police actually, they shouldn’t be arresting non-violent protesters here,” said protester Angie Zelter. “We have a right to protest and Palestine Action is not a violent organization, should never have been proscribed in the first place.”

Six people were arrested separately after unfurling a Palestine Action banner on Westminster Bridge outside parliament.

The demonstration was the latest in a series of protests, during which hundreds have been arrested for defying the ban, which makes it an offense to show support for Palestine Action.

A smaller demonstration organized by Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine attracted about 100 people in the city.

There were no reports of arrests.

Ahead of the protest, Greater Manchester’s police chief Sir Stephen Watson urged those planning on attending to reconsider, questioning if “this is really the right time,” given the terror attack days earlier, according to the UK’s ITV News.

“You could do the responsible and sensitive thing and refrain, on this occasion, from protesting in a manner which is likely to add to the trauma currently being experienced by our Jewish community,” he suggested.

Police said Saturday’s protests would draw resources away from security they have tightened around synagogues and mosques following Thursday’s attack.

Defend Our Juries, which organized Saturday’s protest, has condemned the attack on the Jewish community in Manchester but rejected pleas to call off the demonstration.

A spokesperson said the group “stood in solidarity” with the Jewish community over the attack, adding that “cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win.”

Six people arrested on suspicion of terror-linked offenses over the attack remained in police custody on Saturday.

Thursday’s attack came as antisemitism in Britain has surged to record levels since the Hamas-led terror onslaught on October 7, 2023, and pro-Palestinian marchers have taken to the streets to denounce Israel, drawing criticism from some members of the Jewish community.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the head of Orthodox Judaism in Britain, said the attack was the result of “an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred” on the streets and online.

Some also say the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian state last month has emboldened antisemitism — a claim the government rejects. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was interrupted by boos and shouts of “Shame on you” on Friday as he addressed a vigil for victims of the attack in Manchester.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.