BY CHRIS HOBBS
Photos: Chris Hobbs
If it’s a Saturday, it must be a Gaza linked protest and sure enough, after local gatherings last week we were back to a major national protest. The meeting point was Hyde Park Corner and, as thousands assembled, accompanied by Charlotte Church, those of us who observe these events wondered what would grab the headlines.
Little did we know that not only would an Iranian dissident gain that distinction but that his actions would reverberate around the world which would, in term, rub salt in the wounds of a Metropolitan Police currently swimming against a tide of constant denigration.
The start was well organised and uneventful with rumours afoot that somewhere around Victoria there would be a Jewish counter-protest. Shortly after the start, the pro-Palestinian marchers were met and joined by a sizeable Jewish contingent.
One striking figure, clearly visible as the march progressed, was a male dressed in all black body armour with a NATO type helmet and black metal shield. He was later stopped by police. It looked to me as if he was questioned and details taken before being allowed to proceed but later reports from the Met suggested he had been arrested.
Those of us at the front of the march were keeping our eyes open for a counter protest which we totally failed to locate but social media footage confirmed that one was taking place albeit a small affair. The footage showed officers keeping those with Israeli flags behind a cordon which involved some very gentle pushing.
The Embassy, the stage and Waitrose.
Vauxhall Bridge Road and Vauxhall Bridge itself were negotiated without major difficulty before the marchers entered Nine Elms Lane where the American Embassy is situated. Barriers complete with officers effectively sealed off the Embassy and its grounds but, perhaps, because the President Biden’s increasing dissatisfaction with Israeli tactics and efforts to secure a supply line to those suffering in the war zone itself, there was little reaction from most marchers as they passed the impressive looking edifice.
Further along Nine Elms Lane, past a Waitrose store, there was a both a stage and a giant screen. Additional loudspeakers were set back along the road in case the protesters ‘backed up.’
Alas for many of the marchers. Waitrose, which was withing sight of the stage, closed its doors to the marchers. Those customers left inside the store were periodically escorted out by staff, but none were allowed in which was unfortunate as many potential customers clearly wanted coffee, sandwiches and the use of the stores ‘facilities.’ A number of those potential customers clearly shopped at Waitrose as a matter of course and were less than impressed at the closed doors.
As the speeches commenced, I decided to walk back along the road to Vauxhall Bridge as marchers streamed towards the stage. What was noticeable was the fact that many of the marchers were; how can I put this without causing offence? Middle aged socialists who, in the past, would have been affectionately referred to as ‘crusties.’
Seasoned protest observers also noticed, yet again, a profusion of families with babies in prams, toddlers in pushchairs and young children. Those advocating ‘robust policing,’ would do well to note.
Also amongst the pro-Palestinian marchers were the controversial Jewish group known as Neturei Karta whose orthodox Jewish appearance can sow confusion amongst officers policing the event and observers. They are deeply unpopular with mainstream Jewry for reasons too detailed to feature here; however, a simple Wikipedia search will provide further information which will include allegations of Holocaust denial and friendly relations with Hezbollah.
Many marchers, once again, having reached their destination, decided to head for home but as they did so marchers streamed towards the stage in the opposite direction. A quick visit to Vauxhall underground station saw it uncomfortably crowded with many departing.
The siege of Pret
Marchers were still arriving at Nine Elms Lane some two hours after those heading the possession reached their destination. One incident which caught the attention of myself and other observers, was a female with a loudspeaker who was attempting to dissuade potential customers from entering Pret a Manger due to its business links with Israel. However, hungry marchers and indeed police officers were not to be denied. Some marchers sneaked up side steps and slid along the wall before entering the café behind the back of the determined lady in question who was later joined by several sympathisers and two children.
Just around the corner, a Tesco Express opted, unlike Waitrose, to remain open and the manager must have thought Christmas had come early with the influx of hungry and thirsty marchers.
One aspect of the march appeared, initially, to be the absence of the more youthful elements but several large, noisy groups had stationed themselves towards the rear of the march and arrived complete with drums. They stopped at the Vauxhall end of Nine Elms Lane and didn’t proceed along the road to the stage. They were however noisy and, watched by a serial from Cheshire police, indulged in a series of chants. Eventually they morphed into two groups that, to an onlooker, appeared in competition with each other.
Several individuals clambered onto a nearby roof but complied with instructions from the Cheshire officers to come down. Meanwhile, crowds who had been near the stage area were leaving in their hundreds.
An orderly dispersal
The event was due to end at 5pm and the word was that ‘walkabouts,’ and other forms of protest outside the preset conditions wouldn’t be tolerated. At around 4.30pm, officers began to open adjacent roads while those of us familiar with previous protests, expected some sort of further action by the youthful groups which would bring them into conflict with police.
In fact, as the roads were being re-opened, the youth groups began to disperse of their own volition. The event was over and the Met must have been congratulating themselves on a high-profile successful operation; however, a relatively minor incident during the course of the afternoon was to grab international attention and feature prominently on social media.
Officers from a visiting force made an arrest which subsequently resulted in a de-arrest and a cut leg for the man detained. The injured male would appear to be an Iranian dissident opposed to the current Iranian regime which, perhaps explains his support for Israel; Iran’s implacable foe.
Controversy
Footage of this particular incident shows the male amongst Palestine protesters, holding up a placard stating that Hamas are terrorists. For two minutes, he is largely ignored by marchers but inevitably there is a reaction despite the accuracy of the statement. Someone snatched the placard and there is a scuffle in which an individual aims a punch at the individual. Police officers, from some distance away, see the fracas, rush across and detain the male with the placard. He is placed on the floor and cuffed but later de-arrested and released.
The footage spreads, literally across the world with some, including from the far-right proclaiming that this an example of ‘two tier,’ policing, typical of that which has been seen since this crisis began.
Further footage later emerged of this individual plus a placard being involved in a similar scenario during the protest on the 17th of February close to the Israeli Embassy. He was behind railings on that occasion and attempts were made to strike him and some missiles were thrown Others were attempting to restrain the angry individuals and again police intervened and marched him away.
A third similar incident at yet another protest occurred in Trafalgar Square and on this occasion, officers from Wales intervened. It would seem that there have been other similar occurrences.
It has been pointed out that cameras were always in a convenient position to film aggressive pro-Palestinian protesters harassing and threatening this individual which would serve to confirm that London is being subjected to ‘mob rule.’ Indeed, even allowing for the fact that the majority of the protesters are, according to the Met, peaceful, there are violent pockets within their ranks who could inflict serious injuries on such an individual who is clearly opposed to their cause.
The facilitation and complexities of peaceful protest.
The Met were also criticised for failing to facilitate ‘peaceful protest’ on this and other occasions. The logical extension of this is that protesters from one side should be able to place themselves amongst those who hold diametrically opposing views.
Thus, at the proposed future far-right/football lads protest, an individual draped in a Palestinian flag and with a placard that states; ’Racist scum off our streets,’ and ‘Open borders; all migrants welcome here,’ should be able to place himself in the middle of that rival group on the basis of ‘freedom of speech.’ Police would therefore be under an obligation to facilitate this protest.
As was pointed out on twitter, this ‘freedom’ could be extended to football, thus if a Spurs fan wishes to place himself amongst rival West Ham fans and wear his team’s colours, he should be permitted to do so regardless of ground rules. Recent serious disorder at the match between West Brom and Wolves saw the match suspended for half an hour and involved hundreds of police. The incident was triggered because of a few visiting fans securing tickets amongst home supporters.
Clearly there is an obligation on police to prevent a breach of the peace and at times, that will involve separating rival factions and keeping them apart. It may even be that arrest is necessary, followed, depending on the circumstances, by de-arrest.
That simple message was totally lost in the furore that was witnessed in the aftermath of Saturday’s incident. There would clearly be Hamas supporters and sympathisers amongst the tens of thousands of protesters. Equally, there will be those who would state that they are not Hamas apologists and were appalled by the events of October the 7th but are also concerned about the death and destruction seen on our TV screens as a result of Israel’s response. Therein, it could be argued, lies the impossible conundrum that is impacting itself on the streets of London and other cities in the UK and the world; if Israel doesn’t destroy Hamas, they will come again but at what cost in terms of death and destruction we see daily on our TV screens?
Five arrests were made on Saturday plus the above- mentioned de-arrest incident; further arrests may well take place after photographs and footage are examined by public order branch detectives. Images of both pro-Palestinian and far-right counter protesters are currently being circulated by the Met and refer to several previous protests.
In the interim, the debate will continue in respect of the ‘From the river’ chant and its multiple interpretations. As I and others have previously stated, the first court case, if there ever is one, will be compelling. Another controversial chant involves Yemen being urged to ‘turn those ships around,’ which is a reference to Houti attacks on shipping with demands being made that any such chants should result in arrests. These marches also attract ‘protest auditors,’ whereby individuals look for examples of flawed or ‘two tier’ policing. Personally, I was more intrigued by the chant of ‘I believe that we will win;’ Perhaps yet another chant that is open to multiple interpretation and perhaps police ‘comms,’ need to explain that decisions to arrest at public order events are not always as simple as they appear.
Challenges for the Met
The Met had a challenging Saturday across London. In addition to this very large protest, there were other demonstrations on the day plus a number of football matches. Rumours that Millwall versus Birmingham would be problematic proved accurate and police had to contend with a level of disorder that has been mercifully absent since that experienced by officers on November the 11th by the above- mentioned counter-protesters.
Needless to say, praise for the Met and other forces in respect of Saturday was completely absent from across the political spectrum. Doubtless there will be local protests next week and another ‘national’ protest in the near future all of which sap police resources and seriously impact the force’s finances.
Whilst ‘physical’ disorder at these protests has been towards the bottom of the scale, there can be no doubt that many within the Jewish community understandably feel intimidated by current events. Harassing MPs at their home addresses, offices and on the streets adds to the feeling of insecurity as does the wanton slashing of paintings and other acts of destruction causing hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage. These are in addition to the many reported antisemitic incidents.
Concerns that the entire Muslim community is being demonised were articulated in an open letter signed by 53 victims of Islamic terrorism including the wife of Lee Rigby. A far-right twitter (‘X’) response to the actions of Rebecca Rigby in signing the letter involved a four- letter word which prefaced ‘off.’
In the middle of this polarisation are the police, principally the Met, buffeted by a government that clearly would like the Commissioner to request a ban on these protests. Even if the Commissioner succumbed to pressure, legitimacy in attempting to impose such a ban that would, in any event, be challenged in the courts.
There is little current comfort for police to be found amongst the MSM or indeed social media.
Perhaps history will take a more favourable view.