Calling for calm on X on Saturday morning, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: \u201cI urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognize and respect the grief of British Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain. It is a time to stand together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\t A protester reacts while being taken away by police officers at a \u201cLift The Ban\u201d demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action, calling for the recently imposed ban to be lifted, in Trafalgar Square, central London, on October 4, 2025. (Justin Tallis\/AFP)<\/p>\n Police arrested protesters in Trafalgar Square in central London as they wrote slogans on placards declaring support for Palestine Action, which was proscribed in July after members broke into an airbase and damaged military planes.<\/p>\n Hundreds gathered for the protest, applauding and cheering those arrested as they were carried through the crowd by police without resisting. Onlookers chanted \u201cshame on you\u201d at officers.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m disgusted by the police actually, they shouldn\u2019t be arresting non-violent protesters here,\u201d said protester Angie Zelter. \u201cWe have a right to protest and Palestine Action is not a violent organization, should never have been proscribed in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n Six people were arrested separately after unfurling a Palestine Action banner on Westminster Bridge outside parliament.<\/p>\n \t A protester is taken away by police officers at a \u201cLift The Ban\u201d demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action, calling for the recently imposed ban to be lifted, in Trafalgar Square, central London, on October 4, 2025. (Justin Tallis\/AFP)<\/p>\n The demonstration was the latest in a series of protests, during which hundreds have been arrested for defying the ban, which makes it an offense to show support for Palestine Action.<\/p>\n A smaller demonstration organized by Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine attracted about 100 people in the city.<\/p>\n There were no reports of arrests.<\/p>\n Ahead of the protest, Greater Manchester\u2019s police chief Sir Stephen Watson urged those planning on attending to reconsider, questioning if \u201cthis is really the right time,\u201d given the terror attack days earlier, according to the UK\u2019s ITV News.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could do the responsible and sensitive thing and refrain, on this occasion, from protesting in a manner which is likely to add to the trauma currently being experienced by our Jewish community,\u201d he suggested.<\/p>\n Police said Saturday\u2019s protests would draw resources away from security they have tightened around synagogues and mosques following Thursday\u2019s attack.<\/p>\n Defend Our Juries, which organized Saturday\u2019s protest, has condemned the attack on the Jewish community in Manchester but rejected pleas to call off the demonstration.<\/p>\n A spokesperson said the group \u201cstood in solidarity\u201d with the Jewish community over the attack, adding that \u201ccancelling peaceful protests lets terror win.\u201d<\/p>\n Six people arrested on suspicion of terror-linked offenses over the attack remained in police custody on Saturday.<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s attack came as antisemitism in Britain has surged to record levels since the Hamas-led terror onslaught on October 7, 2023, and pro-Palestinian marchers have taken to the streets to denounce Israel, drawing criticism from some members of the Jewish community.<\/p>\n Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the head of Orthodox Judaism in Britain, said the attack was the result of \u201can unrelenting wave of Jew hatred\u201d on the streets and online.<\/p>\n Some also say the UK\u2019s recognition of a Palestinian state last month has emboldened antisemitism \u2014 a claim the government rejects. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was interrupted by boos and shouts of \u201cShame on you\u201d on Friday as he addressed a vigil for victims of the attack in Manchester.<\/p>\n Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
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