Pro-Palestinian protester makes ‘cut-throat’ gesture at Israel supporters
A pro-Palestinian activist appeared to make a cut-throat gesture while pointing towards a group of Israel sympathisers calling for the release of all hostages held in Gaza.
The man, who made the gesture in full view of a police officer, pointed at the group and appeared to draw his hand across his throat.
The Metropolitan Police said a man was later arrested for a public order offence.
The confrontation came as pro-Palestinian activists marched past a counter-protest in central London, stopping to shout “shame on you” at those calling for the hostages to be freed.
Pro-Israel groups and their supporters displayed a banner reading “Bring Them Home Now” and held placards stating “Hamas Are Terrorists” as the Palestinian march filed past.
As the two groups of protestors faced each other across barriers keeping the two sides apart one officer was seen speaking to a man wearing a T-shirt that suggested that he didn’t believe in the right of Israel to exist.
Tension grew as one young woman wearing a Palestinian scarf and armed with a megaphone led a chant of ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’, aimed at the counter protesters, many of whom flew Israeli flags.
The slogan is widely interpreted as a call for the destruction of the state of Israel and has been chanted repeatedly on pro-Palestinian demonstrations since they began after the Oct 7 attacks by Hamas.
At one stage a police woman appeared to have removed a placard reading ‘Israel has the right to go f--- itself’ from the protest, while nearby a man shouted at the counter-protestors “You don’t want the hostages” as a steward tried to move him on.
The confrontations took place close to Bush House, the former home of the BBC World Service, as the two groups came within a few dozen metres of each other.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign claimed 80,000 people attended the central London protest, with thousands more taking part around the country.
Earlier a small group of counter demonstrators holding the union flag had confronted the pro-Palestinian marchers as they filed past them through Russell Square in Bloomsbury.
Several of the counter protestors had arrived with cans of beer in their back pockets and were spoken to by police officers as the Palestinian march set off.
There have been sporadic confrontations between far right football fans and Palestinian marchers since protests over the conflict in Gaza began last year.
Activists carrying banners and placards calling for an end to all arms sales to Israel had gathered outside the Imperial Hotel for the protest, with one section of the march walking behind a “Jewish Block for Palestine” banner.
One woman was seen holding a hand drawn placard reading: “Genocide Is Never the Solution . . As we Jews should know”. Other placards read: “Stop Arming Israel” and “Boycott Israel”.
Scotland Yard said a total of nine people were arrested for public order offences during Saturday’s pro-Palestinian protests.
Commander Ade Adelekan, leading policing for the events said: “The arrests made demonstrate that there are consequences for those whose behaviour steps outside the law.”
The march to Parliament Square was one of several protests taking place around the country calling for the British government to stop the sales of weapons to Israel and an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.
Other protests included a march outside the offices of the global aerospace and defense company General Dynamics in Hastings.
Activists also picketed Tesco stores and branches of Barclays Bank in towns and cities including Milton Keynes, Bedford and Carlisle as well as staging protests and vigils in Coventry, Leeds, Leicester and Newcastle.