Police arrested 14 people at rival protests in London on Sunday, where about 1,000 demonstrators gathered for and against a show promoting the sale of property in Israel. The event was held at Edgware United synagogue in north-west London.
Protest Details
Those opposed to the event claimed it was selling property in land illegally occupied by Israel and was part of an expansionist plan to drive out Palestinians. Organisers denied this. Police tried to keep rival protesters apart outside the synagogue, located in an area with a significant Jewish population.
Groups representing British Jewish opinion say repeated pro-Palestinian protests amount to intimidation and harassment, especially in Jewish areas. Pro-Palestinian groups deny this and see it as an attempt to silence protest over alleged Israeli human rights abuses.
Police Response
Metropolitan police commander Adam Slonecki said: "We have liaised with the venue and the community security trust and have deployed officers to prevent serious disruption and to deal with any offences, using the full range of powers available to us including imposing conditions under the Public Order Act." He added that Jewish communities are experiencing heightened fear following sustained protest and recent arsons and other attacks.
Slonecki noted: "There is a distinction between protesting in central London and protesting in the heart of communities where the potential to cause serious disruption and intimidation is greater."
Arrests and Charges
Of those arrested, five were for violent disorder, one of whom was also arrested for assaulting a police officer. Seven people were arrested for Public Order Act offences, four allegedly racially or religiously aggravated. One person was accused of assaulting a police officer and one of common assault.
Jeanine Hourani of the Palestinian Youth Movement said: "Over the last three years, Israel has attempted to make genocide the new normal... Today, they are trying to make the selling of our homeland normal and so we must also refuse."
Event Security
Attendees of the invitation-only Great Israeli Real Estate Event, which targeted those thinking of moving to Israel and included burial services, had to pass through metal detectors to enter the synagogue.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the pro-Palestinian protests were organised on bogus grounds and amounted to intimidation: "The event organisers have publicly refuted claims that the event is marketing real estate over the green line. It is very disappointing that MPs and other public figures have not acknowledged this and instead inflamed tensions."
Before the event, groups including Amnesty International called for its cancellation, supported by about 100 MPs and peers. In a letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, they wrote: "Allowing the event to proceed would not only be inconsistent with current UK government guidance on settlement-related economic activity, it would stand in opposition to the government’s obligations under international law."
