- Earlier at Downing Street, up to 2,000 people attended a vigil in solidarity with the Jewish community.
- A few miles away, there was a huge police presence as thousands gathered outside the Israeli embassy – with fireworks aimed at the building.
- Pro-Palestinian rallies have been held outside the Israeli embassy and Downing Street, with Rishi Sunak hitting out at Hamas during a visit to a synagogue.
- An estimated 5,000 people had gathered in Kensington on Monday evening – with some shouting “Free Palestine” and “Israel is a terrorist state”.
The Metropolitan Police says it is aware of suspected criminal damage and is looking “to locate and arrest those suspected of being involved in any criminal activity”. As the evening progressed, a smaller, peaceful pro-Palestinian protest of about 250 people was held outside Downing Street – with a significant police presence nearby.
It came as the prime minister attended a prayer service for Israel in north London – and said: “I wanted to come here and stand with you in this hour of grief as we mourn the victims of an utterly abhorrent act of terror. Mr. Sunak went on to say that Hamas “are not militants, are not freedom fighters, they are terrorists”. “Their barbaric acts are acts of evil… teenagers at a festival of peace gunned down in cold blood. Innocent men, women, and children were raped, abducted, and slaughtered. Even a Holocaust survivor taken away as a captive.”
The prime minister went on to say there was “no question of balance” – and he stood with Israel.
In Westminster earlier, hundreds of people also attended a Jewish community vigil – with security minister Tom Tugendhat and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy among the speakers
Many held photos of Noa Argamani, an Israeli woman who was kidnapped by Hamas militants. She was one of dozens of hostages held by the group. Over in west London, an estimated 5,000 people gathered near the Israeli embassy. Parts of the building were boarded up and a huge police presence was in attendance.
Meanwhile, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has joined Metropolitan Police officers on a patrol in Golders Green, an area of north London with a significant Jewish population. It came hours after a kosher restaurant in the area had its window smashed and its cash register stolen, while “Free Palestine” was graffitied on a nearby railway bridge.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the home secretary confirmed she is writing to police forces across England and Wales – “urging them to use all their powers to prevent disorder and distress”. “The UK stands with Israel in her fight against the barbaric attack by Hamas terrorists. There is no place on British streets for demonstrations that glorify terrorism,” she wrote.
Earlier, Ms. Braverman had said: “The barbaric attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists who have massacred civilians and kidnapped the most vulnerable, including the elderly, women and children, is truly sickening.” Communities minister Lee Rowley has urged protesters not to attempt to glorify Hamas’s attack on Israel.
(With inputs from agencies)
