Pro-Palestinian protest sees controversy and shameful abuse

Chris Hobbs attends last weekend's controversial Palestine Solidarity Campaign protest where there were enforceable conditions in place around a local synagogue and the BBC.

After the controversy in the days before this Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) event, it was never going to be an incident free afternoon and so it proved. As will be seen later in this account, for one female Met officer it was to be an afternoon she is unlikely to forget for all the wrong reasons.

I’ve often stated that these major Saturday ‘national’ pro-Palestine protests have been, given the vast numbers attending, relatively free from physical disorder. This is in spite of the fact that there have been counter-protests where the two sides have hurled abuse at each other but refrained from violence. Stewarding too has been effective.

On this occasion, police refused to permit the PSC from starting their march by BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place on the grounds that this was too close to a nearby synagogue. The reason given by pro-Palestine activists for the starting point on this occasion was to protest against alleged pro-Israeli bias by the BBC. The PSC pointed out that they had previously begun their marches in Portland Place with no previous issues.

That remains the case but shortly before Christmas there was outrage when a purely religious Hanukkah celebration outside a Jewish community centre was disrupted by a pro-Palestinian protest; this may have influenced the Met’s stance.

Reluctant agreement

After much public debate, the PSC reluctantly agreed to hold a public rally which would take place along virtually the entire length of Whitehall. There would be no march and conditions imposed by the Met made that clear. A pro-Israeli counter-protest would be held in Horse Guards Avenue which is just off Whitehall.

A couple of arrests were made quite early on and, as officers passed the stage with their prisoners, there were chants of ‘let him/her go.’ The afternoon settled down into what was almost a carnival atmosphere. Some listened to speeches from the stage, others formed groups and indulged in chant and drum fests. There was even free food.

A few pro-Israeli counter-protesters materialised in Horse Guards Avenue behind barriers and a police cordon and they were joined later by a larger group who arrived together. A small crowd gathered but the pro-Israeli gathering didn’t attract the sort of attention that was anticipated. A line of PSC stewards in front of the barriers provided additional security.

The policing of this part of the protest was unwittingly assisted by those pro-Palestinian supporters who unfurled a lengthy banner a few yards back from the barriers. This meant that the pro-Israeli group were effectively shielded from those passing by in Whitehall thanks to the aforementioned banner.

‘Inserts’

It came as no surprise when the familiar group of pro-Israeli ‘Inserts’ appeared in the midst of the Palestinian supporters towards the top of Whitehall. This group claim they are exercising some sort of democratic freedom to walk where they wish, which, as stated in previous articles, flouts the Met’s tactic of keeping rival groups apart. It remains to be seen whether any small leftist group carrying placards which state, ‘all migrants welcome here,’ and ‘Nazi scum off our streets’ would be permitted to ‘insert’ themselves into a Tommy Robinson march.

Once again, the pro-Israeli ‘inserts’ were surrounded by police as angry exchanges took place. Eventually the ‘inserts’ joined their fellow counter-protesters behind the barrier and police cordon. At the appointed time, this pr0-Israeli group obeyed the conditions imposed upon them and left.

The question that was being asked by protesters and police officers alike, was whether, despite the imposed conditions, pro-Palestinian activists would still attempt to march from Whitehall to the BBC.

Illicit marches

At about 2PM a group of around 200 marched up to the police line at the top of Whitehall. It was clear that several agitators were encouraging them to push through the line of officers but this group had no appetite for such a confrontation.

An hour later, having walked back down Whitehall, I noticed a large group of protesters moving up Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square. It appeared that the speeches from the stage by Downing Street had finished.

I posted the following along with some footage;

’This looks like a determined, illicit march.’

This wasn’t a crowd who were simply making their way home at the end of the day’s proceedings and they were led by a number of agitators, some masked and with megaphones. Also present within the crowd were children, some in pushchairs and the elderly. The crowd stopped at the police line where Met officers in their ‘day uniforms,’ were joined by an aid serial.

As the march, for that was now what it was, reached the police line, the crowd behind grew denser as more individuals arrived. The agitators were waving people on and the situation began to concern me as I recalled a dangerous, potentially crushing situation at the 2023 Notting Hill Carnival. crowd were pushing against the police and I began to move backwards away from the front line, concerned that any vigorous response from the police cordon could result in panic and a surge away from the confrontation.

Suddenly, the police transits that had been acting as a partial barrier, activated their blue lights and drove off to the cheers of the crowd. Encouraged, the crowd pushed their way past officers who made only token attempts to stop them. It would have looked to spectators as if the crowd had won; the probable reality however was that police supervisors on the spot knew that to hold that line by force could cause a crushing incident. As was pointed out to me shortly afterwards, many continental forces would have adopted rather more forceful tactics.

Protesters foiled

Prominent politicians and organisers who were present and who were pictured clutching flowers claimed that the marchers were merely intending to place flowers and toys in Trafalgar Square and some were facilitated through by police. In all honesty, in the course of the day I didn’t see any protester clutching flowers or toys.

In any event, most of the marchers ignored Trafalgar Square itself, took a left then a right turn and walked on the edge of the Square, past the Canadian High Commission before turning left by the National Gallery with the clear intention of heading towards Haymarket and then presumably up to Piccadilly and onwards towards Portland Place and the BBC.

The inevitable attempt by protesters to then remove themselves from the area of Trafalgar Square was blocked by police carriers and officers. Attempts were made by the marchers to leave the Square by other exits but they found their way blocked. This led to some ‘push and shove’ with officers which was captured on footage and described as ‘police brutality.’

The situation was confused but contained. It was possible to enter Trafalgar Square by Charing Cross and leave via Northumberland Avenue. The situation was inevitably confusing to the general public but was now under control thanks to both the tactics and their implementation by officers. A group of protesters were corralled in Trafalgar Square and one by one were arrested for breaching protest conditions before being escorted to prisoner transport in Northumberland Avenue.

One chant to be heard was ‘Met police are IDF’ (Israeli Defence Force). When it was pointed out that the officers in the vicinity were not ‘Met,’ the chant changed to ‘all police are IDF!’

Other officers were politely telling remaining protesters to leave or risk arrest and on occasion this demand was made of rather bewildered tourists.

Interestingly, the application of conditions upon protests has incurred the wrath of both the hard left and the far right amidst cries of curbs on freedom and a ‘police state.’ More than one neutral observer of protests has cynically commented that perhaps we may soon see the hard left and far right join forces in a ‘freedom from state oppression’ march and rally.

In all the Met made more than seventy arrests during the course of the afternoon; there were three incidents of officers being spat at and one other physical assault. In fairness to the protesters, there were few if any missiles thrown.

Shameful abuse

There was, however, one extremely unsavoury aspect that thus far has appeared to escape the headlines. A female, Muslim officer who was present in and around Whitehall throughout the afternoon, reported on social media that she was subjected to disgusting abuse during the protest.

When initially hearing the news, I assumed that she had perhaps encountered a small group of far-right activists. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The abuse came from Muslim pro-Palestinian protesters and included terms which, in Islam, are both demeaning and insulting.  A fuller account of the officer’s ordeal could be found on linked-in but, as I read it, I was hoping the instances may have been brief and fleeting. Not so apparently. It would seem the abuse was a constant feature of the officer’s afternoon.

No officer should have to undergo such a level of abuse during the course of their duties. In May she is participating in the New York half-marathon in order to raise money for a children’s cancer charity.

Her ordeal didn’t end there however. The original post on social media attracted numerous expressions of sympathy and encouragement from those supportive of police including serving and retired officers. Gradually however, the tone of the responses changed as the post circulated more widely and we saw more abuse, this time from largely anonymous far-right trolls and bots.

The abuse of black and Asian police officers from both within their own communities and racists has been previously documented on numerous occasions and clearly there is an urgent need for support, not just from colleagues, including very senior officers but from within those communities.

Chris Hobbs is a former Special Branch officer who follows public order events for Police Oracle as an observer. 

Category: OpsPublic Order