Almost 400 arrested at Pro-Palestine protests across UK since Hamas’ October 7 atrocities
PRO-PALESTINE rallies were held across Britain yesterday as police revealed the number of protesters nicked was nearing 400.
Some 200 staged an illegal sit-in at London’s Waterloo Station to call for a ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel conflict — and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was also targeted.
Thousands marched in Newcastle and Glasgow and there were rallies in Bristol, Birmingham and Liverpool among 100 events nationwide.
London’s Met Police revealed 386 people had been nicked since Hamas’s October 7 atrocities — some 253 of them at protests.
Another 125 were held for “community-related” incidents and eight on suspicion of terror offences.
At Waterloo, protesters gathered despite a British Transport Police banning order. Police contained them on the concourse.
Officers forcibly dragged some away when they refused to go and five arrests were made.
Another 200 earlier tried to occupy London Bridge, but were quickly moved on.
Around 1,000 targeted Sir Keir’s constituency office, accusing him of “supporting genocide” after the party declined to back a ceasefire vote.
At one point the demonstration blocked a road, forcing cops to ask drivers to use alternative routes in Camden, North London.
John Rees, of the Stop the War Coalition, told crowds: “My message to Keir Starmer is this . . . get with the programme, demand a ceasefire.”
Around 50 protesters staged a sit-in on London’s Westminster Bridge. One was arrested outside the Houses of Parliament.
In Manchester, a group waving Palestinian flags clashed with cops outside a McDonald’s.
The chain has been targeted after its Israeli franchise offered free food to soldiers.
Four people were arrested in the city last month on suspicion of supporting Hamas outside a vigil for murdered Israelis.
During the past month, two protesters were held in Rochdale for scrawling “Free Palestine” on a cenotaph.
Three more were nicked in Newcastle during the first week of the protests.
