‘Out of control’ pro-Palestine protesters goad police in central London

Shocking footage has shown the moment anger boils over at a pro-Palestine rally as protesters clash with police in central London last night.

A series of clips shared on social media throughout the course of the evening showed tension mounting, including one brief film in which a wall of police is confronted by angry demonstrators.

Three police officers were injured, including one who sustained a serious facial injury after being hit in the face with a bottle, and 40 people arrested during the demonstration in Westminster, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in protest against Israel’s bombing of Rafah.

Footage shared by Chris Hobbs, whose X profile describes him as a retired Metropolitan Police officer with 30 years experience, shows large numbers of police vehicles on the scene.

One brief film shows dozens of officers, several with batons drawn, facing down a large number of protesters in Whitehall. Another shows demonstrators trying unsuccessfully to break through a police cordon.

Commenting, X user Heidi Bacham said: “The ‘peaceful’ pro-Palestinian protesters in London are fighting with the police.

“To the point where batons have been drawn. This is who they are.

“The pro-Pals are utterly out of control in London tonight.”

Westminster Police shared a video of police moving in the quell the disorder, commenting: “Officers are identifying the ringleaders in this group and specialist arrest teams in protective equipment are going into the crowd to detain and extract them.”

Metropolitan Police said the suspect who threw the bottle has not been identified but police are investigating.

A protest organised by a coalition of groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Group, began at around 6pm and was required to end at 8pm, police said.

The majority of the crowd, which was between 8,000 and 10,000 people, left Whitehall without incident.

A group of around 500 people remained and police began making a number of arrests for failing to comply.

Police said some of the crowd resisted arrest which required police to use force to remove those who had been arrested before the protest broke away with the crowd marching to Bridge Street, outside Westminster Station, where police put up cordons to detain the group.

The PSC shared footage from earlier in the evening, commenting: “10,000+ people at Downing Street now for Palestine as Israel continues its brutal attack on Rafah.

“Our govt and the Labour leadership have provided support for Israel as it commits genocide. They have blood on their hands. They must call for a #CeasefireNOW and #StopArmingIsrael.”

Another protest organised by the PSC is scheduled for central London on Saturday.

More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas’s October 7 terror attack. Subsequent Israeli military intervention has resulted in the deaths of 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.