In an unexpected turn of events, London’s Metropolitan Police have reported that physical violence instigated by far-right thugs and football hooligans overshadowed a pro-Palestinian demonstration that attracted an estimated 300,000 participants. The march, calling for a cease-fire in Israel’s bombing campaign on Gaza, took place between Hyde Park and the U.S. Embassy, mirroring similar protests in major European cities like Paris and Brussels.
The Metropolitan Police condemned the “extreme violence from right-wing protesters” who actively sought to confront the pro-Palestinian march. The clashes resulted in nine injured officers and 126 arrests, with the majority identified as counter-protesters.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attributed the violence to far-right “thugs” and alleged “Hamas sympathizers” attempting to infiltrate the pro-Palestinian march. Matt Twist, an assistant commissioner with the London Metropolitan Police, emphasized that the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) event did not witness the level of physical violence demonstrated by the right-wing groups.
Twist revealed that the instigators of the violence were predominantly football hooligans from various parts of the UK, engaging in confrontations with law enforcement throughout the day. The police discovered weapons and illicit substances among the group members, including a knife, a baton, a knuckleduster, and class A drugs.
Prior to the weekend, U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman had labeled pro-Palestinian events as “hate marches.”
While Twist acknowledged some intimidating behavior from breakaway groups during the pro-Palestinian rally, he emphasized that the level of violence from these groups did not match that of the football hooligans. The police are actively investigating serious offenses related to hate crime and potential support for proscribed organizations identified during the protests.
Prime Minister Sunak condemned both the violence perpetrated by far-right English Defence League thugs and the display of antisemitic chants and pro-Hamas signs during the pro-Palestinian protest, describing such acts as “deplorable.”
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