A man carrying a sign reading “Hamas is terrorist” into a pro-Palestine demonstration in London was heckled by protesters.
Footage shared on X shows the man holding the placard high above his head as people in the background can be heard chanting “Free Palestine” in Trafalgar Square.
He is then filmed being confronted by protesters, including one man who calls him a “son of a b****”. Another cries, “Shame on you”, at the counter-protester.
Four police officers were injured and 29 people were arrested after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square to demand a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war on Saturday (November 4).
Demonstrators climbed on top of the square’s famous fountains as the mostly peaceful group waved flags and banners.
But the Metropolitan Police said some demonstrators launched fireworks into crowds and towards police, leaving four officers injured.
X-user Chris Rose shared a copy of the counter-protest video on Saturday, commenting: “So a man arrived at the Palestine protest in London carrying a ‘Hamas are terrorists’ sign and was attacked for doing so.
“If this protest was as ‘peaceful’ as @GaryLineker keeps saying, then such signs would be welcomed and applauded.”
His comment came after the Match of the Day presenter criticised Home Secretary Suella Braverman after she described recent pro-Palestine protests as “hate marches”.
The former England footballer replied: “Marching and calling for a ceasefire and peace so that more innocent children don’t get killed is not really the definition of a hate march.”
Commentator Lee Harries, commenting on the clip, claimed: “Why would they attack a man holding a sign that said ‘Hamas are terrorists’? This is not a peaceful protest.”
Protesters also gathered for a sit-in at Charing Cross station, which is close to Trafalgar Square. About 350 people staged a sit-in protest which shut down Oxford Circus earlier in the day.
That demonstration stopped traffic during the shopping area’s busiest hours, after similar protests at major stations. It comes after a week of similar disruptive actions at major UK transport hubs.
Met Police Commander Karen Findlay said: “The vast majority of people demonstrated peacefully during an extremely busy day in central London, with protests in a number of locations requiring a policing presence.
“It is disappointing various splinter groups were again responsible for behaviour which has no place in London and we are determined to deal with this robustly. Fireworks were directed towards officers and four officers were injured.
“Today, we dealt with breakaway groups from the main protest quickly. Officers intervened to prevent further disruption, using the full range of powers at their disposal. This effective intervention ensured Londoners were able to go about their business.”
