Nearly 500 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested in support of Palestine Action, which has been proscribed by the UK as a terror organization, the Metropolitan Police announced on Saturday.
London police arrested six people who displayed support for a banned pro-Palestinian group on Saturday and carried away protesters who gathered for a demonstration, despite requests to call it off after a deadly attack at a synagogue in Manchester.
Two people were killed in the attack in the northwestern city on Thursday, and police shot dead the assailant, a British man of Syrian descent who counterterrorism police said may have been inspired by extremist Islamist ideology.
Organizers refused requests by the police and government to call off the demonstration, which had been announced before the attack, to protest against the banning of the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws.
The protest came after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in the Jewish Chronicle, calling for sensitivity on the part of pro-Palestinian protesters, acknowledging that some attending the weekly protests had been stoking hate.
'It is not a time to stoke tension'
"I know that planned protests over the weekend, just a few days before the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, as well as in the shadow of the Manchester attack, will cause distress," Starmer wrote. "Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy – and there is justified concern about the suffering in Gaza – but a minority have used these protests as a pretext for stoking antisemitic tropes. I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews this week. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain.
Those arrested had unfurled a banner on Westminster Bridge outside parliament in support of Palestine Action, which was proscribed in July after members broke into an airbase and damaged military planes.
Hundreds gathered for the main protest event in Trafalgar Square in central London, where police began carrying away protesters as seated activists wrote out slogans on placards declaring their support for Palestine Action. Onlookers chanted "shame on you" at officers.
The event is the latest in a series of protests, during which hundreds have been arrested for defying the government ban, which makes it an offense to show support for Palestine Action.
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, and urged police to focus on that, not policing the demonstration.
Thursday's attack followed incidents of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate in Britain this summer, and pro-Palestinian marchers have taken to the streets to denounce Israel, drawing criticism from some members of the Jewish community.
Jewish and Muslim communities in Britain have expressed fears for their safety.
Israel has been waging war on Hamas in Gaza since the Palestinian terrorist group carried out a deadly attack on southern Israel communities two years ago and abducted more than 250 people - 48 of whom remain captive.
Hours after Thursday's attack, pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police at a demonstration outside Starmer's office, drawing sharp condemnation from interior minister Shabana Mahmood, who called their action dishonorable and un-British.