Shocking footage has shown the moment anger boiled over at a pro-Palestinian rally where protesters clashed Police last night in central London.
A series of clips shared on social media over the course of the evening showed tensions rising, including a short clip showing a wall of police confronted by angry protesters.
Three police officers were injured, including one who suffered serious facial injuries after being hit in the face with a bottle, and 40 people were arrested during the demonstration in Westminsterorganized by the Palestine Solidarity campaign in protest against Israel's bombardment of Rafah.
Imagery shared by Chris Hobbswhose X-profile describes him as a retired police officer with 30 years of experience, shows large numbers of police vehicles on the scene.
One short film shows dozens of officers, some with batons drawn, facing a large number of protesters in Whitehall. Another photo shows protesters trying in vain to break through a police cordon.
In a comment, 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 completely out of control in London tonight.'
Westminster Police shared a video of police working to quell the disorder, noting: “Officers identify the leaders of this group and specialist SWAT teams in protective equipment enter the crowd to detain and collect them. ”
The Metropolitan Police said the suspect who threw the bottle has not been identified, but police are investigating.
A protest organized by a coalition of groups including the Palestine Solidarity Group started around 6 p.m. and was supposed to end at 8 p.m., police said.
The majority of the crowd, which numbered 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 non-compliance.
Police said some of the crowd resisted arrest, forcing police to use force to remove those arrested before the protest erupted as the crowd marched to Bridge Street, outside Westminster Station, where police set up cordons to block the retain group.
Sharing footage from earlier in the evening, the PSC noted: “More than 10,000 people in Downing Street now for Palestine as Israel continues its brutal attack on Rafah.
“Our government and the Labor leadership have been supportive Israel because it commits genocide. They have blood on their hands. They must call for a #CeasefireNOW and #StopArmingIsrael.”
Another protest, organized by the PSC, is planned for Saturday in central London.
More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7. Subsequent Israeli military intervention has resulted in the deaths of 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.