Pro-Palestinian demonstrations described as 'un-British' in the wake of Manchester attack, UK home secretary asserts
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Britain's Home Secretary expressed regret that Palestinian-supporting protests proceeded on Thursday evening after the terrorist incident that took two lives near a synagogue in the city of Manchester.
The top security official additionally appealed to demonstrators to "step back" from intentions to hold protests in the days ahead.
"In my view that continuing in this fashion appears un-British, it seems misguided," she stated regarding protests planned for this weekend.
Protesters in central London demonstrating against the Israeli navy halting a flotilla transporting humanitarian assistance to Gaza clashed with law enforcement outside the Prime Minister's residence on Thursday evening.
Large crowds carrying flags of Palestine and placards could be spotted on the government district throughout the evening.
The Metropolitan Police announced that 40 people had been taken into custody. Six of those detained were detained over assaults on police officers.
"It is important to draw a line between what is happening in the Middle East and situations developing at home," the minister told a breakfast show on Friday morning.
"I would advise to people who are intending to join a demonstration is to reconsider briefly for a minute, and think about if you had suffered the loss of a loved one to a terror attack in this nation," she continued.
There were "strong" measures to safeguard the right to protest, she stated, but they could be superseded on the guidance of the police.
"I can act based from the law enforcement, if they were to tell me there was an insufficient resources to respond and to police the protests, then there are authorities that are accessible," she clarified.
Community leaders voice worries
Britain's senior rabbinical leader stated that many members of the Jewish community asked why protests in solidarity of Palestinian causes had been permitted to proceed.
The movement was outlawed as a terrorist organisation in the summer. At numerous protests following the ban, numerous individuals have been detained for expressing solidarity for the group, which has obtained approval to challenge the restriction.
"Some of them include blatant anti-Jewish sentiment, outright backing for the militant group. Not all participants, however there is so much of these elements, which undoubtedly represents harmful to many within our society," the religious leader stated.
"It's impossible to disconnect the words on our streets, the conduct of people in this way, and what inevitably results, which was the recent terrorist attack."
He also called on the government "once more", to "assert authority on these demonstrations, they are harmful."