British police arrest dozens of far-right radicals on the sidelines of a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London

2023-11-11 17:58:44

The London Metropolitan Police This Saturday he arrested at least 92 far-right radicals who have traveled to the British capital with the aim of interrupting a demonstration against the bombings in Gaza, called by pro-Palestinian organizations. The ultras confronted the agents mid-morning in the surroundings of westminster, where commemoration events were being held for the anniversary of Armistice Day, which commemorates the end of the First World War. The strong deployment of security has prevented these groups from accessing the pro-Palestinian demonstration, which has traced its route through a nearby area, in the center of the capital.

Nearly 300,000 people They attended the demonstration, the largest called so far since the conflict in Gaza began, along a route of about four kilometers between Hyde Park and the United States embassy. The protest has been held peacefully, oblivious to the disturbances in the Pimlico area, adjacent to part of the route, where the ultras have launched metal fences against the police. The strong police cordon, made up of more than 2,000 agents, has prevented the infiltration of radicals into the demonstration. “There are some groups of counter-protesters who have sought confrontation with the main demonstration. The police operation has been effective in preventing this from happening,” said the deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Matt Twist.

Pressure on Braverman

The groups of radicals have arrived in the British capital sponsored by the controversial words of the Minister of the Interior, Suella Braverman, who this week accused the police chiefs of establishing “favoritism” with the pro-Palestinian marches over other calls. Braverman has tried to press all week for the Metropolitan police to cancel the pro-Palestinian demonstration, citing the risk of violence and pointing out the links of some protesters with terrorist groups. The only episodes of violence, however, have been those carried out by the extreme right groupssomething that has exposed Braverman and that could cost him his job in the coming days.

The pro-Palestinian march has developed normally since midday, when the first thousands of protesters gathered around Hyde Park. Lewis Calvert, 68, attended the protest wearing a Palestinian scarf around his neck. “I think that at this moment it is difficult for a ceasefire to occur, but we must go out into the streets to ask for this to happen. [Emmanuel] Macron has already spoken in that sense: this could be the beginning of the international pressurealthough the British government does not seem to be up to the task,” he says.

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Rachel Parker, a 22-year-old girl, claims that she attended the demonstration to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. “What is happening in Palestine has been unjust for decades, going out into the streets is what we should do. The fact that there are so many people on the street today shows that people are finally opening their eyes, so there is hope”explains Parker, who is very critical of the position of the British Government and especially the Minister of the Interior. “This demonstration is totally peaceful, everyone is showing their solidarity with Palestine. The fact that they try to show it as a violent episode shows the fear they have of people expressing their opinion,” she adds.

Crisis in the Government

Braverman has adopted a belligerent discourse against the Palestinian community since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in early October. His criticism of police chiefs has caused a confrontation with the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who distanced himself from his minister’s words, interpreted as an attempt to establish his own profile in the face of a possible candidacy to lead the Conservative Party in the future. The Pressure on Sunak to fire Braverman They have been increasing this week, both inside and outside their formation, although their possible dismissal will foreseeably put the hardest wing of the party on a war footing. An uncomfortable situation for the prime minister, who will have to make a decision in the coming days.