Pro-Palestine march: Police condemn ‘extreme’ right-wing protesters as force makes 126 arrests

Far-right thugs hijacked Armistice Day to attack police at a pro-Palestinian march in central London on Saturday, leading to violent clashes with officers and dozens of arrests.

The Metropolitan Police condemned the “extreme violence” perpetrated by far-right groups as nine officers were injured preventing an “intoxicated, aggressive and confrontational” crowd from storming the Cenotaph.

Assistant commissioner Matt Twist added that a knife, baton and knuckle duster were among the weapons officers confiscated from groups of football hooligans. The Met confirmed that 126 people were arrested throughout the day.

It comes as Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf accused Suella Braverman of encouraging the far-right groups by “fanning the flames of division” and urged her to resign.

Meanwhile, Husam Zumlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, spoke movingly before hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestine supporters at the march as he remembered those who “lost their lives in the war” and those who are “still falling today”.

“Today is a reminder that it is only once the guns fall silent that peace can be achieved,” he said. “This is why we are here today. To call for ceasefire.”

Key Points

  • ‘Deeply concerning extreme violence’ against police by right-wing groups, says Met

  • Police officers faced ‘unacceptable violence’ and people ‘throwing missiles’

  • 126 far-right protesters arrested by Met Police

  • Prime Minister condemns ‘violent, wholly unacceptable scenes’ at march

  • Humza Yousaf: Suella Braverman must quit over far-right demonstrators

Braverman says streets ‘polluted by hate’ as she doubles down on criticism of protesters

17:20 , Tara Cobham

Suella Braverman has said the streets of London are “polluted by hate, violence and antisemitism” as she doubled down on her criticism of pro-Palestinian protestors despite the violent targeting of police by far-right thugs that she has been accused of inflaming.

In her first public comments since thousands of far-right hooligans descended on London to disrupt Armistice Day commemorations on Saturday, the Home Secretary condemned antisemitic chants and placards at the pro-Palestinian march and called for “further action”.

Writing on social media site X, the under-fire Home Secretary said: “The sick, inflammatory and, in some cases, clearly criminal chants, placards and paraphernalia openly on display at the march mark a new low. Antisemitism and other forms of racism together with the valorising of terrorism on such a scale is deeply troubling.

“This can’t go on. Week by week, the streets of London are being polluted by hate, violence, and antisemitism. Members of the public are being mobbed and intimidated. Jewish people in particular feel threatened. Further action is necessary.”

Suella Braverman has said the streets of London are “polluted by hate, violence and antisemitism” as she doubled down on her criticism of pro-Palestinian protestors (AFP via Getty Images)
Suella Braverman has said the streets of London are “polluted by hate, violence and antisemitism” as she doubled down on her criticism of pro-Palestinian protestors (AFP via Getty Images)

Braverman U-turns to praise ‘brave’ police after day of protest violence

15:44 , Tara Cobham

Suella Braverman has made a stunning U-turn to praise “brave” police after she was accused of inflaming the far-right thugs who violently targeted officers at a pro-Palestinian march on Saturday.

In her first public comments since thousands of hooligans descended on London to disrupt Armistice Day commemorations, the Home Secretary tweeted: “Our brave police officers deserve the thanks of every decent citizen for their professionalism in the face of violence and aggression from protesters and counter-protesters in London yesterday.”

Police release over 90 people arrested for breach of peace

17:54 , Tara Cobham

The 91 people who were arrested to prevent a breach of the peace in Pimlico as they tried to confront the main pro-Palestinian march have since been released, the Metropolitan Police has said.

The force said it is “normal” for those arrested in these cases to be released “once the imminent threat has passed”.

It added that those who were arrested for other matters in addition to a breach of the peace are being dealt with for those offences.

Police officers detain a man in the street close to the 'National March For Palestine' in central London on Saturday (AFP via Getty Images)
Police officers detain a man in the street close to the 'National March For Palestine' in central London on Saturday (AFP via Getty Images)

Met Police issues six appeals with more expected to follow

17:18 , Tara Cobham

The Metropolitan Police has so far issued appeals in relation to six incidents in the wake of Saturday’s protests and said it expects more will follow.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, who led the Metropolitan Police’s operation on Saturday, said: “Public order policing doesn’t end when demonstrators go home. We have teams of officers who continue to build cases against those in custody and launch investigations into those who come to our attention when images and videos are shared on social media.

“Since the end of yesterday’s demonstration we’ve published appeals in relation to six incidents and I have no doubt there will be more to follow. Our colleagues at the British Transport Police have published a further two appeals.

“We urge anyone who has information about the identity of suspects, or who has footage or photos of further potential offences, to get in touch so we can take the appropriate action.”

Met Police confirms 145 arrests made on Saturday

16:35 , Tara Cobham

Officers made 145 arrests during the Pro-Palestinian demonstration and counter-protest by far-right groups on Saturday, said the Metropolitan Police.

The majority of those arrested were members of far-right groups.

The offences include assault, possession of weapons, criminal damage, public order, inciting racial hatred and possession of drugs.

Seven men have so far been charged and the force said investigations continue into a number of other incidents.

Seven men charged following Armistice Day protests

16:20 , Tara Cobham

The following seven people have been charged by the Metropolitan Police following the protests in London on Armistice Day.

John Harvey, 75, of Pamela Street, Hackney was charged with criminal damage. He was remanded to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 13 November.

Ethan Stapely, 23, of Bradwell, Norfolk was charged with resisting arrest. He was remanded to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 13 November.

Sam Fairclough, 33, of Buckley, Flintshire was charged with possession of an offensive weapon. He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 1 December.

Taylor Warne, 21, of Hastingleigh, Kent was charged with possession of class A drugs. He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 30 November.

James Buckley, 42, of Manchester, Greater Manchester was charged with possession of an offensive weapon. He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 30 November.

William Duncan, 48, of Armadale, West Lothian was charged with being drunk and disorderly. He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 30 November.

Karl Jordan, 47, of Burlington Lane, Hounslow was charged with assault on an emergency worker. He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 30 November.

Gove thanks police after he was mobbed by pro-Palestinian demonstrators

16:18 , Tara Cobham

Michael Gove has thanked police after he was mobbed by pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Victoria station amid a day fraught with tensions over a rally and counter-protests on Armistice Day.

Footage shared on social media showed the senior Cabinet minister flanked by a large police contingent trying to keep dozens of demonstrators away from him as he passed through the London railway station on Saturday.

In a post on X, the Levelling Up Secretary said on Sunday: “I’m very grateful for so many kind messages in the last 24 hours. I’d like to thank the police for their exemplary work getting me home safely yesterday.”

Police appeal after incidents at London train stations on Armistice Day

15:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Appeals have been launched to identify five people after footage circulated online of incidents at London train stations on Armistice Day.

British Transport Police released images of four men they want to speak to after what the force say was a racially aggravated altercation at Waterloo station on Saturday.

The force also released an image of a woman they want to speak to after an alleged antisemitic hate crime at Victoria station.

The 90-second video posted online of the incident at Waterloo station shows men swearing repeatedly, including shouting “terrorist f******” and “we were born in this country”.

A separate video was shared on social media which shows an argument before one person appears to shout “death to all the Jews” at Victoria station.

It comes after dozens of counter-protesters were arrested as hundreds of thousands of people took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central London on Saturday.

Man in his 40s arrested after incident at Charing Cross Station

14:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

British Transport Police have arrested a man in his 40s for “racially aggravated public order offences” following an incident at Charing Cross Station on Saturday.

US does not want to see firefights in Gaza hospitals

14:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The United States wants to avoid armed fighting inside hospitals in the Gaza Strip, which endangers the lives of civilians, and has conveyed its view to Israeli forces, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS News on Sunday.

“The United States does not want to see firefights in hospitals where innocent people, patients receiving medical care, are caught in the crossfire and we’ve had active consultations with the Israeli Defense Forces on this,” Sullivan told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” program.

Israel‘s army said it was ready to evacuate babies from Gaza‘s largest hospital, but Palestinian officials said people were still trapped inside it, with two newborns dead and dozens at risk from a power outage amid intense fighting nearby.

Al-Shifa and other hospitals in northern Gaza, the focus of Israel‘s month-old war to wipe out Hamas and free hostages held by the militants, are barely able to care for patients. More people are wounded daily by fierce Israeli bombardment.

Sullivan said that open-source information indicated that “Hamas is using hospitals as it uses many other civilian facilities, for command and control, for weapons storage, to house its fighters. And this is a violation of the laws of war.”

He also said the United States continues to move U.S. citizens out of Gaza.

“The gate has been open and closed. The lists have included Americans some days and not other days. But the bottom line is, today the gate is open. We are moving American citizens and their families members out,” he said.

 (REUTERS)
(REUTERS)

Police release images following incident at Waterloo on Saturday

13:56 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

British Transport Police have released images following an incident at Waterloo Station on Saturday.

The blunt truth is that Suella Braverman has next to no chance of becoming Tory leader

13:43 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

If Rishi Sunak is holding back from ridding himself of his troublesome home secretary because he fears boosting her leadership campaign, he shouldn’t, John Rentoul writes:

It was a mistake for Rishi Sunak to have appointed Suella Braverman as home secretary in the first place, said Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff. Indeed, so said The Independent, in its editorial at the time.

Although it depends on your definition of “mistake”. As George Osborne, another former player turned commentator, often says, the first rule in politics is to know how to count. Sunak understood that he needed to cut some deals to get his hands on the levers of power. One of those deals was with Braverman, who could deliver a small but significant group of Tory MPs, the rump of the once-feared European Research Group of Eurosceptics, which she had chaired.

Suella Braverman has next to no chance of becoming Tory leader | John Rentoul

Shapps refuses to say if Braverman will still be home secretary next week: ‘A week is a long time in politics’

13:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Grant Shapps has refused to say if Suella Braverman will still be home secretary next week amid growing calls for her to be sacked.

The defence secretary said “a week is a long time in politics” and he would “never make predictions about these things” as it was a matter for the prime minister.

His refusal to back Ms Braverman comes as she faces mounting pressure to quit having been accused of inciting a mob of far-right protesters to descend on London and attack police on Armistice Day.

Grant Shapps refuses to say if Braverman will still be home secretary next week

The two-minute silence of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters was done to make a point

13:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Police put the number of pro-Palestine protesters in London at 300,000 while organisers claimed more than 500,000 had taken part, writes Tom Watling:

As the hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered from the US embassy, back across Vauxhall Bridge and all the way to Buckingham Palace just after 3pm on Saturday, a hush fell.

A cacophony of chants subsided as demonstrators were asked to use Armistice Day to remember the thousands who have died in Gaza over the past five weeks, many of whom are children.

Husam Zumlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, told those gathered that the march was “a reminder that it is only once the guns fall silent that peace can be achieved”.

“Today we remember those who lost their lives in war and we remember those who are still falling today,” he said.

The two-minute silence of pro-Palestinian protesters was done to make a point

‘From the river to the sea’: Why a 6-word phrase sparks fury and passion over the Israel-Hamas war

12:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” pro-Palestinian activists from London to Rome and Washington chanted in the volatile aftermath of Israel’s bloodiest day. Adopting or defending it can be costly for public figures, such as U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who was censured by the House on Tuesday.

But like so much of the Mideast conflict, what the phrase means depends on who is telling the story — and which audience is hearing it.

Read more here:

‘From the river to the sea’: Why a 6-word phrase sparks fury and passion

Beatings, threats at gunpoint and fleeing in terror: Inside the most aggressive West Bank land grab in 50 years

12:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Bel Trew visits villages in the occupied West Bank and hears harrowing tales of settler violence in which Palestinian families describe being forced from their homes – in what human rights groups say is the single biggest land grab since Israel captured the region in 1967:

The man in Israeli military uniform sliced off Mohamed’s clothes with a knife, urinated on him, and then, after relentlessly beating him, tried to rape him with a stick. He details the assault that took place in the village of Wadi al-Siq, about 20 miles northeast of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank.

Mohamed Mattar, 46, a Palestinian activist and humanitarian, had come to this Bedouin community to assist 30 Palestinian families that lived there. They appealed for help as attacks by Israeli settlers across the occupied West Bank had surged and become dangerously violent in the aftermath of Hamas’s brutal attack in southern Israel on 7 October.

Inside the most aggressive West Bank land grab in more than 50 years

Gaza’s Al Ahli Hospital ‘runs out of blood'

12:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

British Palestinian Dr Ghassan Abu-Sitta said Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza has “run out of blood”.

Posting online from Gaza, he said: “We have run out of blood at Al Ahli hosital. Our wounded are dieing after surgery because we cant transfuse them.”

Watch: King Charles lays wreath at Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday

11:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Far-right protesters throw missiles at police as dozens arrested at pro-Palestine march counter rallies

11:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Far-right activists launched missiles in a series of violent clashes with police after vowing to “defend” the Cenotaph as hundreds of thousands joined a pro-Palestine protest on Armistice Day.

The Metropolitan Police condemned the “unacceptable violence” faced by its officers as more than 90 counter-protesters were detained in mass arrests to prevent a breach of the peace after they attempted to target the rally.

Nationalist groups and football fans engaged in a series of violent confrontations across the capital, throwing beer cans and vapes and charging at officers, although the two minutes’ silence passed undisturbed at the Cenotaph.

Far-right groups clash with police amid counter rallies to pro-Palestine march

‘Shocking’ Rishi Sunak did not thank police after Armistice Day march chaos

11:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak has been condemned for failing to thank the police who were targeted by far-right thugs as thousands of hooligans descended on London to disrupt Armistice Day commemorations.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said she was “shocked” by the omission and it was “really important” prime minister thanked officers, who had missiles thrown at them in a series of violent clashes with demonstrators linked to the English Defence League and other right wings groups.

The Metropolitan Police condemned the “unacceptable violence” faced by officers and pointed to remarks made by Suella Braverman which helped “increase community tensions” and the violence that led to more than 100 far-right arrests.

‘Extraordinary’ Rishi Sunak did not thank police after Armistice Day chaos

King Charles III lays wreath on Cenotaph

11:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Wearing the uniform of The Marshal of the Royal Air Force with greatcoat, poppy and sword, Charles laid a wreath similar to the one produced for King George VI.

The wreath features 41 open style poppy petals made from bonded fabric, hard-wearing paper.

It is mounted on an arrangement of black leaves - traditional for sovereign’s wreaths - of 27-inch diameter ribbon and bow using the colours from The King’s racing silk - scarlet, purple and gold, Buckingham Palace said.

 (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
(Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
 (PA)
(PA)

In pictures: King, prime minister and Braverman at Remembrance Day

11:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

 (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
(Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
 (PA)
(PA)
 (PA)
(PA)

Remebrance Sunday: Crowds gather in the rain to pay respects

10:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Members of the Royal Navy are stationed outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building on Whitehall, and a band from His Majesty’s Royal Marines Portsmouth has played for the crowd.

A group of Royal British Legion trustees is standing at the front of a large group of people, stretching back down Whitehall, who are due to walk past the Cenotaph later on during the Remembrance Day service.

Members of the Gurkha Brigade Association are among those gathered behind them.

A couple of people in the crowds lining Whitehall told the BBC they had been there since 8am.

 (via REUTERS)
(via REUTERS)

In pictures: Thousands gather for Remembrance Day

10:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

 (via REUTERS)
(via REUTERS)
 (PA)
(PA)
 (via REUTERS)
(via REUTERS)

10:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Watch live as King Charles leads Remembrance Sunday ceremony at Cenotaph

Humza Yousaf says Braverman’s position as home secretary is ‘untenable'

10:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has called for Suella Braverman to be sacked and not allowed to resign.

Speaking to journalists as he arrived at Remembrance Day commemorations in Edinburgh, the First Minister accused the Home Secretary of “fanning the flames of division”.

Mr Yousaf said: “The result of that, of course, is, as we saw, individuals on the far right actively attacking the police.

“I’m afraid that the Home Secretary’s position, in my view, is untenable.

“She should not even be allowed to resign, she should just be sacked by the Prime Minister because no Home Secretary should be fanning the flames of division - quite the opposite.”

Join our WhatsApp Channel for news updates

10:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Independent has launched a brand new WhatsApp Channel, bringing you the latest breaking news, Premium news analysis from our award-winning journalists and an evening news briefing with the day’s top headlines.

Sign up and get the latest on the pro-Palestine march and more by pressing this invite link.

Suella Braverman posts on Remembrance Day

10:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Suella Braverman said she would be paying her respects to “our fallen heroes” today at the Cenotaph.

The home secretary posted on X: “This morning I will be attending the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph, paying my respects to our fallen heroes.

“We must honour them and the veterans who survive for the sacrifices they made so that we may live safe and free.”

Ms Braverman did not make any mention of the far-right clashes with police on Armistice Day, which the likes of Sir Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper have attributed to the home secretary’s incendiary rhetoric leading up to the pro-Palestine march on Saturday.

King Charles to lead Remembrance Sunday service at Cenotaph after day of protests

09:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The King will be leading a moving Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph as the nation honours those who died in conflict on Sunday.

People across the UK will hold a two-minute silence at 11am, as Charles leads the country at the central London memorial in commemorating the end of the First World War and other conflicts involving British and Commonwealth forces.

Wreaths will be laid by members of the royal family, senior politicians and dignitaries at the Whitehall memorial, where a major policing operation remains in place after 126 arrests - mostly far-right counter-protesters - as a pro-Palestinian march was held on Armistice Day.

King Charles to lead Remembrance Sunday service at Cenotaph after day of protests

Suella Braverman ‘demeans her office by whipping up divisions’, Keir Starmer warns

09:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Suella Braverman of “whipping up division” and “sowing the seeds of hatred and distrust” ahead of Armistice Day commemorations that saw far-right thugs clash with police.

The Labour leader accused Ms Braverman of “demeaning the office” of home secretary by accusing police of bias for allowing the pro-Palestine march through London to go ahead, and piled fresh pressure on Rishi Sunak to sack her.

He joined a slew of senior Tories, as well as London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf who blamed Ms Braverman for stoking tensions that led to far-right protesters target police.

Archie Mitchell reports:

Suella Braverman ‘demeans her office by whipping up divisions’, Keir Starmer warns

Grant Shapps says Braverman had ‘nothing to do with’ far-right clashes happening

09:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has pushed back against suggestions Suella Braverman emboldened far-right protesters who caused trouble in London on Armistice Day, saying it had “nothing to do with” her inflammatory article.

He told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: “It is the case that some people just turned up determined - by the way, nothing to do with what the Home Secretary said in terms of having already said they would be here doing these things - to disrupt things here at the Cenotaph.”

He also said: “This counter-protest was already going to happen.”

 (Victoria Jones/PA Wire)
(Victoria Jones/PA Wire)

Yvette Cooper ‘shocked’ Sunak did not thank police after Armistice Day chaos

09:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Yvette Cooper said she was “shocked” that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not thank the police for their handling of Armistice Day protests in his statement, particularly after Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s “appalling and unprecedented attack” on police.

Labour’s shadow home secretary told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “I was just shocked that there wasn’t a word of thanks for the police in there, in the statement.

“We saw police under attack, having missiles thrown at them and having to deal with people who were trying to climb over fences, climbing onto walls to try and get to the Cenotaph. The police made sure that they didn’t. And we should thank them for that.

“This comes when the Home Secretary launched this really appalling and unprecedented attack on the police, on both their operational independence and also on their impartiality. I’ve never seen any Home Secretary do what Suella Braverman did. And there’s good reason for that - the events that we saw yesterday, around the Armistice, those are the reasons why no Home Secretary has ever done anything like this before. It was irresponsible.

“So, I think especially in that context it’s really important for the Prime Minister to thank the police for what they’ve done.”

‘No home secretary has ever done this before’- Yvette Cooper slams Braverman

09:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Suella Braverman cannot stay in her job, but the Home Secretary’s fate is now up to the Prime Minister, Yvette Cooper has said.

The shadow home secretary told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “Suella Braverman decided to launch an unprecedented attack on the impartiality of the police and also to deliberately inflame tensions in the run-up to remembrance weekend.

“No home secretary has ever done that before. Her job is supposed to be to support the police and to work with the police, and also to calm community tensions. She did the opposite, and she did the opposite in a really damaging and irresponsible way.”

Pressed about whether the Home Secretary should resign, Ms Cooper said: “I don’t see how she can continue to do this job, she does not have the credibility or the authority to do the serious job of Home Secretary.”

She added: “I think this is a matter for Rishi Sunak, I think he needs to deal with this.

“I think he appointed her and he needs to do something about it, because otherwise all that he shows is he is weak, he doesn’t care about policing and he doesn’t care about the security of our country.”

 (PA)
(PA)

Who are the far-right groups caught in violent clashes at Remembrance Day rallies?

08:56 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Far-right supporters and football hooligans have been involved in violent clashes with police that saw dozens of arrests amid fraught clashes at pro-Palestine counter rallies on Saturday.

Missiles and a metal crowd-control barrier were thrown at police as counter-demonstrators stormed officers trying to control crowds at a Remembrance event at the Cenotaph on Saturday afternoon.

And a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a weapon during earlier skirmishes in Chinatown where English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson was seen leading a crowd of far-right activists.

Who are the far-right groups caught in scuffles with police at Remembrance rallies?

Police slam ‘intense debate’ for fuelling right-wing thugs

08:41 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Police condemned the “extreme violence” in London on Saturday after far-right thugs hijacked Armistice Day and clashed violently with officers, leading to over a hundred arrests.

The force said nine officers were injured preventing an “intoxicated, aggressive and confrontational” crowd from storming the Cenotaph, after a week of “intense debate about protest and policing”.

Matt Twist, assistant commissioner for the Met Police, added that a knife, baton and knuckle duster were among the weapons officers confiscated from groups of football hooligans. The Met confirmed that 126 people were arrested throughout the day.

08:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Live: Displaced Palestinians continue fleeing northern Gaza to south

Starmer accuses Braverman of ‘whipping up division’ as he calls on PM to sack her

08:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Keir said few public figures “have done more recently to whip up division” than the Home Secretary as the Labour leader called for Rishi Sunak to sack Suella Braverman,

In a comment piece in the Sunday Telegraph, Sir Keir wrote: “The Home Secretary and the Prime Minister’s treatment of the police and protestors alike this week - coming just a few days after she shamefully described homelessness as ‘a lifestyle choice’ - betray a total lack of respect for this country’s values and its principles.

“Few people in public life have done more recently to whip up division, set the British people against one another and sow the seeds of hatred and distrust than Suella Braverman. In doing so, she demeans her office.”

Sir Keir said some among the pro-Palestinian demonstrators incited violence, glorified Hamas or called for Israel’s destruction and “should be dealt with firmly by the law”.

But he said blanket calls to cancel the rallies and Government attempts to brand protesters they do not agree with as extremists are “a sign of ministers’ cowardice”.

 (PA Wire)
(PA Wire)

Sadiq Khan joins call for Sunak to sack Braverman

07:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has followed Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in calling for Rishi Sunak to sack Home Secretary Suella Braverman for stoking tensions ahead of Armistice Day.

Pressure mounted on Ms Braverman following scenes of far-right violence towards officers on Saturday after she branded pro-Palestinian protesters “hate marchers” and accused the police of bias for letting the rally go ahead.

Dozens of far-right protesters were arrested, including many trying to confront those participating in the march which Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman had urged police to ban.

Mr Khan said it was “disturbing” to see the violence towards police and if the Prime Minister does not sack Ms Braverman, “he’s too weak or agrees with her”.

“Sadly, these scenes were predictable after a week of efforts from some to stoke tension,” Mr Khan wrote in the Sunday Mirror.

“They were a direct result of the Home Secretary’s words and behaviour.”

“If Suella Braverman had any honour she would resign - and if not, Rishi Sunak should sack her.”

 (PA)
(PA)

Beatings, threats at gunpoint and fleeing in terror: Inside the most aggressive West Bank land grab in 50 years

07:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Bel Trew visits villages in the occupied West Bank and hears harrowing tales of settler violence in which Palestinian families describe being forced from their homes – in what human rights groups say is the single biggest land grab since Israel captured the region in 1967:

The man in Israeli military uniform sliced off Mohamed’s clothes with a knife, urinated on him, and then, after relentlessly beating him, tried to rape him with a stick. He details the assault that took place in the village of Wadi al-Siq, about 20 miles northeast of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank.

Mohamed Mattar, 46, a Palestinian activist and humanitarian, had come to this Bedouin community to assist 30 Palestinian families that lived there. They appealed for help as attacks by Israeli settlers across the occupied West Bank had surged and become dangerously violent in the aftermath of Hamas’s brutal attack in southern Israel on 7 October.

Inside the most aggressive West Bank land grab in more than 50 years

07:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Pro-Palestine protesters surround Michael Gove in Victoria Station

The two-minute silence of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters was done to make a point

07:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

As the hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered from the US embassy, back across Vauxhall Bridge and all the way to Buckingham Palace just after 3pm on Saturday, a hush fell.

A cacophony of chants subsided as demonstrators were asked to use Armistice Day to remember the thousands who have died in Gaza over the past five weeks, many of whom are children.

Husam Zumlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, told those gathered that the march was “a reminder that it is only once the guns fall silent that peace can be achieved”.

“Today we remember those who lost their lives in war and we remember those who are still falling today,” he said.

The two-minute silence of pro-Palestinian protesters was done to make a point

Thousands to march in Paris against antisemitism

07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Tens and thousands of people are expected to march today in Paris against antisemitism amid a surge in antisemitic incidents across France.

Over 3,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed in Paris to maintain security at the “great civic march”, said interior minister Gerald Darmanin.

President Emmanuel Macron on the eve of the march condemned the “unbearable resurgence of unbridled antisemitism” in the country.

“A France where our Jewish citizens are afraid is not France,” he wrote in a letter published in Le Parisien.

“A France where French people are afraid because of their religion or their origin is not France.”

He added that Sunday’s “great civic march” should show France as “united behind its values, its universalism”.

However, the president said he would attend the march only “in my heart and in my thoughts”.

Far-right groups clash with police and throw projectiles in London

06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Footage shows far-right protesters clashing with police in Westminster as hundreds of thousands joined a pro-Palestine march in London on Saturday 11 November.

A crowd of people, described by the Metropolitan Police as “counter-protestors”, were also seen clashing with officers and throwing projectiles on Saturday afternoon.

More here.

Far-right groups clash with police and throw projectiles during disorder in London

Netanyahu rejects calls for ceasefire, says battle will continue with ‘full force’

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s battle to crush Hamas militants in Gaza will continue with “full force.”

A ceasefire would be possible only if all 239 hostages held by the militants in Gaza were released, Mr Netanyahu said in a televised address.

He insisted that Gaza would be demilitarised after the war and Israel would retain security control of the Strip.“The war against (Hamas) is advancing with full force, and it has one goal, to win. There is no alternative to victory,” the prime minister said.

More than 11,070 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and minors, have been killed since the war began, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

About 2,700 people have been reported missing and are thought to be possibly trapped or dead under the rubble.

At least 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mainly in the initial Hamas attack, Israeli officials said.

Israeli forces fired on people leaving Al Shifa hospital

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

People fleeing the besieged Al Shifa hospital in Gaza were shot at by Israeli forces, Doctors Without Borders claimed on Saturday.

"At the time of writing, our staff are witnessing people being shot at as they attempt to flee the Al-Shifa hospital,” the non-profit wrote.

“MSF urgently reiterates its calls to stop the attacks against hospitals, for an immediate ceasefire and for the protection of medical facilities, medical staff and patients."

The World Health Organisation said it has lost communication with its staff inside the hospital, which is operating without electricity and has run out of fuel.

MedGlobal said its doctors and patients were trapped inside Al Shifa due to intense sniper fire even during the four-hour ceasefire window.

"Our staff are risking their lives to protect their patients, continuing to serve despite the grief of losing their own families and communities. The least the world can do is ensure their safe evacuation," said MedGlobal’s president Dr Zaher Sahloul.

Israel’s military has said they were in contact with local authorities in Gaza and was working with Al Shifa to evacuate patients.

“We are in contact with local authorities in Gaza, with the manager and others and assisting them and informing them where they can go in order to evacuate from the area, and we are also trying to coordinate the safe removal and transport of the remaining patients that are in the hospital,” Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told CNN on Sunday.

Watch: Aerials of huge pro-Palestine march in London

05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Watch an aerial view over central London as a large pro-Palestine march takes place on Saturday 11 November.

Police were braced for hundreds of thousands of people descending on the capital for what is expected to be one of the largest political marches in British history on Remembrance Day.

More here.

Watch: Aerials of huge pro-Palestine march in London on Remembrance Day

Pro-Palestinian protesters shut down NYC’s Grand Central Station

04:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters briefly shut down New York’s Grand Central Station on Friday night as they called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The demonstrators carrying “Free Palestine” and “End the genocide” banners assembled at Colombus Circle at around 5pm before marching through Manhattan’s Midtown district, bringing traffic to a standstill.

The group then surrounded the New York Times building near Times Square, smearing the entrance with fake red paint to resemble blood, before making their way to Grand Central Station.

Bevan Hurley reports.

Pro-Palestinian protesters shut down NYC’s Grand Central Station

Israel says it struck ‘terror targets’ in Syria

04:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The Israeli Defence Force said its fighter jets have carried out strikes on “terror infrastructure sites in Syria”.

The strikes were carried out in response to rockets fired several hours ago from Syria toward the Golan Heights.“

A short while ago, in response to the attack toward the Golan Heights yesterday, IDF fighter jets struck terror infrastructure sites in Syria,” Israel’s military posted on Telegram.

WHO says it lost contact with staff in Al Shifa as besieged hospital runs out of power

03:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The World Health Organisation said it has lost communication with its contacts in Al Shifa hospital in northern Gaza, and expressed “grave concerns” for the safety of everyone.

The spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry said that operations in Al Shifa hospital complex, the largest in the Palestinian enclave, were suspended on Saturday after it ran out of fuel.

Doctors Without Borders said the hospital didn’t have electricity, which put the lives of babies and injured adults at risk.

“We have premature babies who need incubators, we have patients in the ICU who need respirators, we have over 600 patients that need medical care,” it wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The silence of pro-Palestinian protesters was done to make a point

03:00 , Tara Cobham

As the hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered from the US embassy, back across Vauxhall Bridge and all the way to Buckingham Palace just after 3pm on Saturday, a hush fell.

A cacophony of chants subsided as demonstrators were asked to use Armistice Day to remember the thousands who have died in Gaza over the past five weeks, many of whom are children.

Husam Zumlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, told those gathered that the march was “a reminder that it is only once the guns fall silent that peace can be achieved”.

Tom Watling reports:

The two-minute silence of pro-Palestinian protesters was done to make a point

Far-right protesters throw missiles at police as dozens arrested

02:00 , Tara Cobham

Far-right activists launched missiles in a series of violent clashes with police after vowing to “defend” the Cenotaph as hundreds of thousands joined a pro-Palestine protest on Armistice Day.

The Metropolitan Police condemned the “unacceptable violence” faced by its officers as more than 90 counter-protesters were detained in mass arrests to prevent a breach of the peace after they attempted to target the rally.

Nationalist groups and football fans engaged in a series of violent confrontations across the capital, throwing beer cans and vapes and charging at officers, although the two minutes’ silence passed undisturbed at the Cenotaph.

Amy-Clare Martin, Crime Correspondent reports:

Far-right groups clash with police amid counter rallies to pro-Palestine march

Watch: Pro-Palestine protesters surround Michael Gove shouting 'shame on you!’

01:00 , Tara Cobham

A group of pro-Palestine protesters surrounded Michael Gove shouting “shame on you!” as he was heading into Victoria Station after the Cenotaph ceremony on Saturday 11 November.

In footage posted on X, the Levelling up secretary was seen walking through the station entrance as Palestinian flags were waved around him and demonstrators called “free Palestine”.

Tension across the capital was on the rise after far-right groups clashed with police in London on the same day that around 300.000 protesters gathered to call for a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas.

Francesca Casonato reports:

Pro-Palestine protesters surround Michael Gove in Victoria Station

Prime Minister condemns ‘violent, wholly unacceptable scenes’ at march

Saturday 11 November 2023 18:32 , Tara Cobham

The Prime Minister has condemned the “violent, wholly unacceptable scenes” from far-right groups and “Hamas sympathisers” at the pro-Palestine march on Saturday.

Describing their actions as “despicable”, Rishi Sunak said that “all criminality must be met with the full and swift force of the law”.

In a statement posted on X, he said: “I condemn the violent, wholly unacceptable scenes we have seen today from the EDL and associated groups and Hamas sympathisers attending the National March for Palestine. The despicable actions of a minority of people undermine those who have chosen to express their views peacefully.

“Remembrance weekend is a time for us to come together as a nation and remember those who fought and died for our freedoms. What we have seen today does not defend the honour of our Armed Forces, but utterly disrespects them.

“That is true for EDL thugs attacking police officers and trespassing on the Cenotaph, and it is true for those singing antisemitic chants and brandishing pro-Hamas signs and clothing on today’s protest. The fear and intimidation the Jewish Community have experienced over the weekend is deplorable.

“All criminality must be met with the full and swift force of the law. That is what I told the Met Police Commissioner on Wednesday, that is what they are accountable for and that is what I expect.

“I will be meeting the Met Police Commissioner in the coming days.”