Pro-Palestinian demonstrations described as 'not in keeping with British values' in the wake of Manchester synagogue terror incident, British home secretary states

Demonstration scene News Agency

The Home Secretary expressed disappointment that Palestinian-supporting demonstrations continued on Thursday following the terror attack that claimed two lives outside a synagogue in the city of Manchester.

Britain's top security official additionally urged demonstrators to "pause" from plans to hold protests in the next few days.

"I believe that carrying on in this fashion does feel contrary to British values, it feels misguided," the minister commented concerning protests planned for this week.

Demonstrators in downtown London protesting the Israeli navy stopping a flotilla transporting humanitarian assistance to Gaza had confrontations with police officers outside the Prime Minister's residence on Thursday evening.

Numerous people carrying flags of Palestine and banners could be observed on Whitehall into the night.

London's Metropolitan Police announced that fourty individuals had been taken into custody. Six of those arrested were detained over attacks against law enforcement personnel.

"It's crucial to establish separation between what is happening in the Middle Eastern region and situations developing at home," the home secretary remarked on a television interview on Friday.

"I would say to individuals who are intending to participate in a demonstration is to just take a step back for a minute, and imagine if you had suffered the loss of a close relative to a terror attack in this country," she added.

There were "strong" powers to safeguard the freedom to demonstrate, she stated, but they could be superseded on the guidance of the law enforcement.

"I can act based from the police, if they were to tell me there was an lack of capacity to respond and to control the demonstrations, then there are powers that are accessible," she elaborated.

Jewish community leaders express worries

Britain's Chief Rabbi remarked that many members of the Jewish population asked why marches in solidarity of Palestinian advocacy groups had been allowed to occur.

The group was outlawed as a prohibited organization in July. At multiple protests since then, numerous individuals have been arrested for demonstrating backing for the group, which has won authorization to dispute the ban.

"Some of them include outright anti-Jewish sentiment, outright backing for Hamas. Not everyone involved, however there is a significant amount of these elements, which certainly is dangerous to many within our society," the chief rabbi remarked.

"It's impossible to disconnect the words on our streets, the actions of individuals in this manner, and what subsequently occurs, which was Thursday's violent act."

He also called on the government "repeatedly", to "take control on these protests, they are risky."

Jason Adams
Jason Adams

Digital marketing strategist with over 10 years of experience in SEO and content creation, passionate about helping businesses thrive online.