Pro-Palestinian demonstrations described as 'not in keeping with British values' following Manchester synagogue attack, British home secretary declares

Protest image News Source

The Interior Minister voiced disappointment that Palestinian-supporting demonstrations went ahead on Thursday evening following the terror attack that took the lives of two men outside a Jewish place of worship in Manchester.

The top security official additionally called on demonstrators to "pause" from plans to stage protests in the days ahead.

"I believe that proceeding in this manner appears un-British, it seems wrong," she stated about protests arranged for this week.

Demonstrators in downtown London protesting the Israel's naval forces intercepting a flotilla transporting aid to the Gaza Strip confronted with law enforcement near Downing Street on Thursday evening.

Large crowds holding Palestinian flags and signs could be seen on Whitehall into the evening.

The police force reported that 40 people had been detained. A half-dozen of those apprehended were charged with assaults on police officers.

"It's crucial to make a distinction between events unfolding in the Middle East and situations developing at in our country," the minister remarked on a morning news program on Friday morning.

"I would say to people who are intending to join a protest is to just take a step back for a moment, and imagine if you had suffered the loss of a close relative to a terror attack in this country," she added.

There were "robust" measures to protect the right to demonstrate, she noted, but they could be superseded on the advice of the police.

"I can act based from the law enforcement, if they were to advise me there was an insufficient resources to handle and to oversee the protests, then there are powers that are at my disposal," she elaborated.

Community leaders express concerns

Britain's senior rabbinical leader remarked that many members of the Jewish population questioned why protests in solidarity of Palestinian causes had been allowed to proceed.

The organization was banned as a terror group in the summer. At various demonstrations after that, hundreds have been detained for showing support for the group, which has won authorization to dispute the proscription.

"Some of them feature blatant antisemitism, outright support for the militant group. Not everyone involved, however there is a significant amount of these elements, which certainly is harmful to many within our community," the religious leader remarked.

"There's no distinction between the speech on our public spaces, the conduct of individuals in this manner, and what subsequently occurs, which was yesterday's violent act."

Additionally, he urged the government "once more", to "take control on these protests, they are dangerous."

Keith Davenport
Keith Davenport

A seasoned crypto analyst with over a decade of experience in blockchain technology and digital asset management.