“Out of control” pro-Palestinian protesters goad police in shocking central London clip | United Kingdom

Shocking footage has shown the moment anger boils over at a pro-Palestinian rally as protesters clash with police in central London last night.

A series of clips shared on social media throughout the evening showed the rising tension, including a brief film in which a wall of police officers are confronted by angry protesters.

Three police officers were injured, including one who suffered serious facial injuries after being hit in the face with a bottle, and 40 people were arrested during the demonstration in Westminster, organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign to protest against the Israeli bombing of Rafah.

Footage shared by Chris Hobbs, whose X profile describes him as a retired Metropolitan Police officer with 30 years’ experience, shows a large number of police vehicles at the scene.

A brief film shows dozens of officers, many with drawn batons, confronting large numbers of protesters in Whitehall. Another shows demonstrators trying in vain to break a police cordon.

X user Heidi Bacham commented: “‘Peaceful’ pro-Palestinian protesters in London are fighting with police.

“To the point where the batons were drawn. This is who they are.

“The pro-Pals are completely out of control in London tonight.”

Westminster Police shared video of police moving to quell the unrest, commenting: “Officers are identifying the ringleaders of this group and specialist arrest teams, equipped with protective equipment, are moving into the crowds to arrest and extract them. »

The Metropolitan Police said the suspect who threw the bottle has not been identified, but police are investigating.

A protest organized by a coalition of groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Group, began around 6 p.m. and was scheduled to end at 8 p.m., police said.

The majority of the crowd, between 8,000 and 10,000 people, left Whitehall without incident.

A group of about 500 people remained and police began making several arrests for non-compliance.

Police said some of the crowd resisted arrest, forcing police to use force to remove those arrested before the protest broke up and the crowd marched toward Bridge Street , outside Westminster station, where police set up cordons to stop the group.

The PSC shared footage from earlier in the evening, commenting: “More than 10,000 in Downing Street now for Palestine as Israel continues its brutal attack on Rafah.

“Our government and Labor leaders have stood with Israel as it commits genocide. They have blood on their hands. They must call for a #CeasefireNOW and a #StopArmingIsrael.

Another protest organized by the PSC is planned for Saturday in central London.

More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7. The subsequent Israeli military intervention resulted in the deaths of 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.