London on Saturday witnessed violence as far-right protesters, who took out a rally to counter the mammoth pro-Palestine demonstrators, clashed with the police at several locations, including in Pimlico, Chinatown and near the Cenotaph war memorial. Over 120 people were arrested by the London's Metropolitan Police.
Following the skirmishes, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the incident as "unacceptable scenes", stating the violence "utterly disrespects" the armed forces.
As per reports, over 300,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London on Saturday. The rally coincided with the annual Armistice Day commemorations marking the end of World War I and honouring those killed in military action.
However, far-right groups took out a counter-protest across the capital, which resulted in skirmishes between police and the far-right groups.
The Met Police said in a statement late on Saturday that they had arrested 126 people so far, the majority of whom were right-wing protesters, including football hooligans."The extreme violence from the right-wing protesters towards the police today was extraordinary and deeply concerning," Reuters quoted Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist.
Though the larger pro-Palestinian rally did not see physical violence, Twist said a small group had broken away from the main march, and engaged in violence. About 150 people wearing face coverings had fired fireworks which struck officers in their faces, leading to arrests, he added.
The pro-Palestine protests had some people who chanted "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free", a rallying cry viewed by many Jews as antisemitic and a call for Israel's eradication. Some carried banners that read "Free Palestine", "Stop the Massacre" and "Stop Bombing Gaza".
However, Prime Minister Sunak, in a statement, condemned violence seen around by the far-right group, calling them "violent, wholly unacceptable" scenes. "The despicable actions of a minority of people undermine those who have chosen to express their views peacefully." He also slammed some of the pro-Palestine protesters by calling them "Hamas sympathisers".
"This is true for EDL thugs attacking police officers and trespassing on the Cenotaph, and it is true for those singing antisemitic chants and brandishing pro-Hamas signs and clothing on today’s protest. The fear and intimidation in the Jewish Community have experienced over the weekend is deplorable," Sunak's statement read.
"All criminality must be met with the full and swift force of the law," he said in a statement late on Saturday. "That is what I told the Met Police Commissioner on Wednesday, that is what they are accountable for and that is what I expect."
The pro-Palestine march had already run into controversy after interior minister Suella Braverman called them "hate marches" led by "mobs" in an article.
"I do not believe that these marches are merely a cry for help for Gaza," Braverman, who is on the right of her party and is the minister in charge of policing, wrote in The Times. "They are an assertion of primacy by certain groups -particularly Islamists — of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, there is a perception that senior police officers play favourites when it comes to protesters," she wrote.
Despite Braverman seeking London's Metropolitan Police to ban these marches, the Met refused saying they did not have indications that there would be serious violence.
However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Scotland's first minister, Humza Yousaf, said Braverman had inflamed tensions and emboldened the far-right by accusing the police of favouring "pro-Palestinian mobs" before the event.
