The Metropolitan Police has been brutally mocked for standing by as protestors blocked Westminster Bridge, with many asking why arrests were not made – and the march stopped.
Hundreds of pro-Palestine protestors took to the streets of London on Saturday, with their march ending on one of the capital’s busiest bridges.
With bannings depicting the Palestinian flag being waved, police were seen by onlookers watching on quietly as the protestors made their voices heard.
And it led to a severe backlash online, with many targeting the police for not doing more to control the march.
In a statement earlier this afternoon, the Met confirmed that after the march had been completed the “group near Westminster Bridge is gradually dispersing and Victoria Embankment is back open to traffic”.
In a later update, the force added: “All protesters have now left the area around Westminster Bridge.
“Officers remain on-duty in central London and are ready to respond to any further demonstrations.”
However, critics questioned why the protests, organised by the Free Palestine Coalition (FPC), were not better police when compared to other marches.
FPC was joined by other “grassroots organisations in London, including Sisters Uncut, Black Lives Matter UK, London for a Free Palestine, and the Palestinian Youth Movement”.
Steven Bartlett, a columnist at the Spectator, wrote on X: “It seems that other groups have decided that the @metpoliceuk are pathetically weak at policing gatherings.
“Who on earth could have given them that impression?”
Another wrote: “Stop pretending you will provide any safety to British citizens.”
Many suggested that aspects of the march may have been unlawful as protestors had to “submit their routes and plans, then get approval” as opposed to just marching.
Clashes did break out, however, between police and protestors as hundreds gathered at a drinking fountain in St James’s Park this afternoon before the march.
Scuffles broke out as it appeared officers went to advance on the protest’s leader – reportedly an NHS doctor – following a speech on a loudspeaker.
After reaching Westminster Bridge, the crowd stopped traffic and continued its march before approximately 200 sat down on the road in front of the bridge.
Face masks were worn by some in the march, depicting the faces of politicians such as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden.
