UK police urge cancellation of Palestine protest after Manchester attack

The United Kingdom‘s Metropolitan Police has said a pro-Palestine protestation planned successful cardinal London this play pursuing an onslaught connected a synagogue successful Manchester should not spell ahead, raising concerns implicit the allocation of constabulary resources astatine a volatile clip for the British capital’s communities.

Protest radical Defend Our Juries plans to clasp a objection connected Saturday successful Trafalgar Square. The telephone from police, seemingly connecting the onslaught and peaceful protests to halt Israel’s genocidal war is raising questions and concerns.

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In a connection published connected X connected Friday, the Met said: “The horrific violent onslaught that took spot successful Manchester yesterday volition person caused important fearfulness and interest successful communities crossed the UK, including present successful London.

“Yet astatine a clip erstwhile we privation to beryllium deploying each disposable serviceman to guarantee the information of those communities, we are alternatively having to program for a gathering of much than 1,000 radical successful Trafalgar Square connected Saturday successful enactment of a violent organisation.

“By choosing to promote wide law-breaking connected this scale, Defend Our Juries are drafting resources distant from the communities of London astatine a clip erstwhile they are needed most.

“We impulse them to bash the liable happening and hold oregon cancel their plans.”

The Metropolitan Police besides wrote to the radical overnight, raising concerns astir the magnitude of constabulary resources the protestation would divert astatine a clip erstwhile “visible reassurance and protective security” is needed successful communities crossed London.

But Defend Our Juries, which has led demonstrations successful enactment of proscribed radical Palestine Action, said it planned to spell up with the march.

The radical besides responded to the Met’s station connected X: “Don’t apprehension america then… We are peacefully protesting against UK complicity successful genocide. Deal with existent terrorism.”

Don’t apprehension america past 🤷

We are causing nary obstruction.
We are committing nary enactment of violence.
We are making nary noise.
We are breaching nary peace.
We are utilizing nonviolent language.
We are peacefully protesting against UK complicity successful genocide.

Deal with existent terrorism. https://t.co/rQ705NDiPO

— Defend Our Juries (@DefendourJuries) October 3, 2025

The planned protestation is owed to instrumentality spot 2 days aft constabulary changeable dormant a antheral they said was liable for deadly car ramming and stabbing attacks successful which 2 victims from the Jewish assemblage were killed adjacent to a synagogue successful Manchester, successful northwest England.

British constabulary accidental 1 of the 2 victims whitethorn person been killed by a slug fired by a constabulary officer.

Greater Manchester Police main Stephen Watson said connected Friday that a forensic introspection has provisionally determined that the unfortunate had “a coiled accordant with a gunshot injury”. He said the attacker did not person a weapon and that the lone shots fired were by police.

The Metropolitan Police’s connection urging Defend Our Juries to telephone disconnected their protestation echoed earlier statements made by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

“As acold arsenic I americium concerned, I would person wanted to spot radical successful this state measurement backmost from protesting for astatine slightest a fewer days, conscionable to springiness the Jewish assemblage present a accidental to process what has happened and to statesman the grieving process arsenic well,” Mahmood told media institution GB News.

“I americium precise disappointed that immoderate of the organisers haven’t heeded the telephone to measurement back.

“I would inactive telephone connected radical to amusement immoderate emotion and immoderate solidarity to the families of those who person been murdered and to our Jewish community.”

Mahmood besides said she was “very disappointed” by protests that took spot connected Thursday nighttime successful the aftermath of the attack.

“I deliberation that behaviour is fundamentally un-British. I deliberation it’s dishonourable.”

Some 40 radical were arrested successful the people of a ample protestation extracurricular Downing Street, six of whom were arrested for assaults connected constabulary officers, according to the Met.

Chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said galore radical successful the Jewish assemblage “and good beyond it” wonderment wherefore marches successful enactment of Palestine Action are allowed to instrumentality place.

Mirvis claimed to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Some of them incorporate outright anti-Semitism, outright enactment for Hamas … You cannot abstracted the words connected our streets, the actions of radical successful this way, and what inevitably results, which was yesterday’s violent attack.

“The 2 are straight linked and truthful we telephone connected the Government yet again, we’ve been doing truthful continuously, and yet again we accidental get a grip connected these demonstrations, they are dangerous,” helium claimed.

However, hundreds of thousands of people, including galore Jews, successful the UK person peacefully protested play against Israel’s genocidal warfare successful Gaza for the past 2 years. There is nary grounds of immoderate convulsive intent oregon enactment for Hamas.

In those 2 years of aggravated Israeli bombardment, and present a crushed penetration of Gaza City – the destroyed enclave’s largest municipality centre – much than 66,000 radical person been killed and 168,346 wounded.

In August, much than 300 starring British Jewish figures, including Jenny Manson, chairperson of Jewish Voice for Labour, signed a missive to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper denouncing the government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action arsenic a “terrorist” organisation successful July nether the Terrorism Act 2000.

The missive besides called for urgent authorities enactment against Israel implicit its behaviour of the warfare successful the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip and implicit escalating unit engulfing the occupied West Bank.

The bid of mostly peaceful rallies successful enactment of Palestine Action person been met by a heavy-handed constabulary effect and wide arrests.