🔗 Share this article

News Agency

The Interior Minister expressed disappointment that pro-Palestinian demonstrations continued on Thursday evening following the terrorist incident that claimed two lives outside a Jewish place of worship in the city of Manchester.

The top security official additionally urged demonstrators to "pause" from plans to organize marches in the coming days.

"I do think that proceeding in this way seems contrary to British values, it feels wrong," she remarked about demonstrations arranged for this weekend.

Protesters in downtown London protesting the Israeli navy stopping a flotilla transporting humanitarian assistance to Gaza had confrontations with police officers outside Downing Street on Thursday evening.

Large crowds displaying flags of Palestine and placards could be observed on the government district throughout the night.

London's police force reported that 40 people had been detained. A half-dozen of those detained were charged with attacks against law enforcement personnel.

"It's crucial to establish separation between events unfolding in the Middle Eastern region and what is happening at home," the minister told a morning news program on Friday.

"My message would be to individuals who are considering to go on a demonstration is to pause and reflect for a minute, and think about if you had suffered the loss of a loved one to a terrorist incident in this country," she emphasized.

There were "robust" measures to safeguard the right to demonstrate, she mentioned, but they could be set aside on the advice of the police.

"I can take my lead from the law enforcement, if they were to advise me there was an lack of capacity to respond and to oversee the protests, then there are authorities that are accessible," she clarified.

Community representatives voice concerns

Britain's senior rabbinical leader commented that many people of the Jewish population questioned why marches in support of Palestinian advocacy groups had been permitted to proceed.

The organization was banned as a prohibited organization in July. At numerous protests following the ban, hundreds have been taken into custody for demonstrating backing for the organization, which has obtained approval to challenge the restriction.

"Some of them contain outright antisemitism, outright backing for Hamas. Not everyone involved, however there is considerable of this, which undoubtedly represents harmful to many within our community," the religious leader declared.

"It's impossible to disconnect the rhetoric on our public spaces, the behavior of individuals in this way, and what subsequently occurs, which was the recent violent act."

He also urged the administration "yet again", to "assert authority on these protests, they are dangerous."