Nearly 500 arrested at UK protest after deadly synagogue attack
Nearly 500 people have been arrested at a protest in London, which went ahead despite a plea from the UK Prime Minister, days after a deadly synagogue attack.
Nearly 500 people have been arrested at a pro-Palestine protest in the UK, two days after a deadly car-ramming and knife attack at a synagogue.
Thousands of people gathered in Trafalgar Square in central London on Saturday, despite a plea from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to show their support for the banned Palestine Action group.
Since the government banned the group in early July, supporting it has become a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act 2000, resulting in the arrests of hundreds of people at protests since.
Police said they had detained at least 442 people at the London ‘Lift The Ban’ protest “for supporting a proscribed organisation”.
Ahead of the demonstrations, Sir Keir urged protesters not to join the rallies.
“I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise 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,” he wrote on X.
The protest came days after two people were killed and three others seriously wounded when a man allegedly drove a car into people outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester and stabbed others before being shot dead by police on Thursday.
The attack took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Police shot dead assailant Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old UK citizen of Syrian descent, within minutes of the alarm being raised.
“He is a British citizen of Syrian descent,” police said.
“Based on what we currently know, our records do not show any previous Prevent referrals relating to this individual.”
Police said a “suspicious device” was worn by the attacker during the incident but it was deemed not “viable”.
Three men and three women remain in custody on suspicion of terrorism-linked offences following the attack.
Police probe shooting
Police said it would probe the police shooting of the attacker.
The investigation would also examine the shooting dead, most likely by police, of one of the incident’s two victims – who suffered a fatal gunshot – as well as a third person who was shot but survived.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said there was no evidence anyone other than police used firearms at the scene, meaning both were accidentally shot by armed officers as they tackled Shamie.
“Our independent investigation will look at circumstances surrounding the fatal police shooting of Jihad Al-Shamie,” it said in a statement.
“A post mortem has today (Friday) concluded another man who died at the scene suffered a fatal gunshot wound.”
Saturday’s protest was organised by Defend Our Juries, which said it “stood in solidarity” with the Jewish community over the attack.
“Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win,” a spokesperson for the group said in a statement.
A smaller demonstration organised by Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine attracted about 100 people in the city.
“I’m ready to be arrested,” a 21-year-old student, who did not want to be named, told AFP.
“The ban of Palestine Action is undemocratic. It shouldn’t be a terrorist group, they haven’t killed anybody.”
David Cannon, 73, chair of the Jewish Network for Palestine said the demonstration was “totally separate” to what had happened in Manchester.
“There’s nothing Jewish about genocide, about apartheid, about ethnic cleansing,” he said.
The synagogue attack – one of the worst anti-Semitic incidents in Europe since the October 7, 2023 – has heightened fear among Britain’s Jewish community.
Police said they were patrolling places of worship across the city “with a particular focus on providing a high-visibility presence within our Jewish communities”.
Originally published as Nearly 500 arrested at UK protest after deadly synagogue attack
