Pro-Palestine marches in London and Manchester are set to go ahead despite the prime minister and police bosses calling for organisers to reconsider after two people were killed in a terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester.
Sir Keir Starmer called on the groups behind the demonstrations and their attendees to “respect the grief of British Jews”, as he warned protests could bring further pain to mourners.
But a demonstration in central London against the proscription of Palestine Action will go ahead on Saturday, with the organisers, Defend Our Juries, saying: “Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win.”
Around 1,500 people are expected to join the protest.
A similar event held by Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine is also set to take place.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Several politicians, including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, have argued the protests should be delayed or cancelled.
And the leaders of the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police said covering such protests would stretch resources.
The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Sir Stephen Watson, urged potential attendees to “consider whether this is really the right time”.
He added: “You 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.”
Extra police officers have been deployed to synagogues and other Jewish buildings to offer protection and reassurance in the aftermath of the attack on Thursday.
Read more:
Families pay tribute to ‘kind and heroic’ synagogue attack victims
Manchester attacker’s relatives condemn ‘heinous act’
‘Prioritise protecting the community, instead of arresting peaceful protesters’
Rejecting the calls to cancel, a spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said the group “stood in solidarity” with the Jewish community over the attack.
They said the protest on Saturday in Trafalgar Square is “not near any synagogue” and “is about defying the government’s absurdly authoritarian proscription of Palestine Action and the government’s complicity in the genocide being committed by the Israeli government”.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
The spokesperson said the attack on the synagogue was “actual terrorism” and condemned it “unreservedly”, while urging the home secretary and the police “to prioritise protecting the community, instead of arresting entirely peaceful protesters”.
They added: “Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win.
“It’s more important than ever to defend our democracy, including our fundamental rights to peaceful protest and freedom of speech, and to take a stand tomorrow against killing and against oppression, and for peace and justice for all.”
Follow our channel and never miss an update
Since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, pro-Palestine demonstrations in central London have attracted thousands of people.
On Thursday, 40 people were arrested at a demonstration near Downing Street.
