London Palestine protest latest: Police make terror arrest at Piccadilly Circus

It’s for having a poster in support of a terror group, not, thankfully an attack with immediate threat to life.  Similar charges have been brought recently in relation to other signs and symbols carried or chanted at previous demonstrations. 

Police have made their first arrests at a pro-Palestinian rally in central London on Saturday with one held under the Terrorism Act over a placard that could incite hatred. Scotland Yard said it had made three arrests at Piccadilly Circus, where a sit-in protest was staged following previous demonstrations in Oxford Circus and outside Broadcasting House.

One was held after they were seen allegedly displaying a placard that could incite hated, while two others were arrested for public order offences. British Transport Police have launched an investigation after pro-Palestinian Tube passengers shouted “Intifada” while making their way to Trafalgar Square.

Video circulating on social media shows travellers sang “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” on a London Underground service near South Kensington station. In the footage, a man leading the chat shouts: “From the river to the sea” before others join in and chant “Palestine will be free”. He then follows with “there is only one solution” before crowds respond “Intifada, revolution”.

Protesters held up a placard seemingly celebrating the brutal October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the conflict a month ago.  The placard showed a bulldozer symbolising the one deployed by Hamas to smash through the fence allowing the terrorists into Israel where they went on to massacre women and children.  The Telegraph doesn’t say if this was the one that merited the arrest. The background is Trafalgar Square, later on the route from Piccadilly Circus so maybe not. 

Andy Ngo has some good news; 

A group of conservatives, patriotic protesters and veterans have gathered at the cenotaph war memorial in London to counter-protest against war monuments being desecrated in recent weeks by Palestine protesters. A nearby pro-Palestine gathering at Trafalgar Square will also happen today.

The cenotaph war memorial in London separates a group of Palestine protesters shouting “F— Israel” on one side and patriotic protesters on the other. The Palestine protesters became enraged when they saw an Israeli flag alongside Union Jack flags and patriotic music.

Next week is Remembrance Weekend and the Stop the War coalition and the other Palestinian. groups are gathering supporters from all over the country for another “National March” on Saturday 11th. What happens in London is the main Remembrance Service will be on the Sunday nearest to the 11th (this year that is Sunday 12th) at the Cenotaph in Whitehall at 11am, attended by the King and Queen, Senior Representatives of the Commonwealth,  the Prime Ministers and leaders of the other parties, a march of veterans and serving members of the armed and civilian services. It’s  big deal. There are also smaller commemorations on the Saturday before by organisations like the War Widows Association, and low key commemorations on the day of the 11th. This year that is also the Saturday before remembrance Sunday. There is a LOT of concern that the 2 minutes silence will not be respected, and neither will the Cenotaph and other War memorials in and around Whitehall. 

At last the public mood has changed, but I fear it isn’t enough and should have happened years ago. 

To recap, the police have for years had a policy of filming events where criminal activity is going on, then after studying the film trying to identify the people who may have committed a crime and ought to be arrested.  This has led to some ridiculous situations.  A few years ago a group of ravers broke into a historic church in the care of the Church Conservation Trust and held a New Year party causing a lot of damage. The police arrived, surrounded the church, stopped the rave (it was on a big hill overlooking a main route to the coast – how they thought they would go un-noticed I don’t know. Drug addled probably) and then made everybody leave. Weeks later they were circulating photographs – do you know this person wanted in connection with….? When they had these people under police supervision AT THE TIME.

After the most recent Palestinian demonstrations they police have now identified, located, arrested and charged:

Heba Alhayek, 29, and Pauline Ankunda, 26, both of south London, were charged with carrying or displaying an article arousing reasonable suspicion that they were supporters of a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas, contrary to section 13(1) Terrorism Act 2000. Following an appeal started last Friday (October 27), officers arrested the pair on Monday (October 30) before they were charged today. These were the women with pictures of paragliders on their jackets. 

A third woman is still being sought, while a man seen displaying a sign saying: “I fully support Hamas” at a different protest on Bond Street on Saturday,

And

Two women have been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred at a pro-Palestine protest after people were filmed chanting a reference to an ancient massacre of Jewish people in the Middle East.

A video was shared on social media yesterday of two women leading a chant about the Battle of Khaybar in 628, when Jews were killed by an Islamic army in 628, in the land that is now Saudi Arabia. Police had asked for help with identifying two women after being made aware of the chant, and said on Sunday that they had arrested them.

Officers said: “Following our appeal yesterday evening, two women have now been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred in Trafalgar Square.

It’s all over central London tonight and the centre of most provincial cities and larger towns. Every Saturday. They think it’s a show of strength and I hope they are overplaying their hand.