Pro-Palestine protesters were videoed in a stand-off with police over the weekend, as demonstrators climbed over central London monuments and directed their ire towards officers.
This comes despite the Prime Minister’s pledge to introduce “a new, robust framework” to tackle the protests that have made some members of the Jewish community feel that areas of London are a “no-go zone” on Saturdays.
Mr Sunak said outside Number 10 on March 1: “What started as protests on our streets has descended into intimidation, threats and planned acts of violence.
“Jewish children fearful to wear their school uniform lest it reveal their identity, Muslim women abused in the street for the actions of a terrorist group they have no connection with, now our democracy itself is a target.”
He went on: “I say this to the police: We will back you when you take action.
“This month the Government will implement a new robust framework with how we deal with this issue to ensure we are dealing with the root cause of this problem and that no extremist groups or organisations are being leant legitimacy by their actions and interactions with central Government.
“You cannot be part of our civil life if your agenda is to tear it down.”
Despite the PM’s tough talk, police once again were seen floundering in the face of vitriolic activists, some of whom had made their way onto national monuments.
In one video, viewed nearly 700,000 times on one X account and 250,000 on another, Met Police officers could be seen engaging with demonstrators who rejected, with contempt, their attempts to manage the protests.
One woman could be heard repeatedly screaming at an officer: “Don’t touch her.” Despite the officer appearing not to.
Meanwhile another officer could be seen, in vain, trying to coax down tens of protesters that had made their way on to the base of Nelson’s Column.
One woman, holding a Palestinian flag could be heard shouting at him: “Please shut up, we are going to come down. Please for the love of God give us space.”
The Metropolitan Police told Express.co.uk on Saturday that in total 12 arrests were made during the protests.
One was for the theft of an Israeli flag, another was for an assault of an emergency worker, and a third was for drunk and disorderly behaviour. The remaining arrests were for failure to adhere to a Section 35 Dispersal Order.
