Mcb777 Cricket‘Flares and bottles’ thrown as protesters clash with police at pro-Palestine march in London – as cops arrest 15 | The Sun - Mcb777 Login

FLARES and bottles were thrown at police as tensions boiled over during a pro-Palestine march in London.

Cops arrested 15 people as up to 50,000 demonstrators took to the streets in cities across the UK on Saturday.

Police officers and protesters clash close to Trafalgar Square during a March for Palestine in LondonCredit: PA

Up to 50,000 people joined pro-Palestine protests in LondonCredit: PA

Protesters in Manchester brought their children alongCredit: PA

Protesters during a March for Palestine in London todayCredit: PA

Cops in London have been out in force to ensure the march stays peacefulCredit: Alamy

Many waved flags and held up signs supporting PalestineCredit: PA

One protestor holds a coloured smoke container aloft in LondonCredit: Reuters

A young supporter of Palestine attending the rally in the capitalCredit: Getty

Metropolitan Police deployed more than 1,000 officers to patrol the area during the march.

Around 50,000 people in London alone are estimated to have marched in solidarity with Palestine and demanding Israel stops its bombing of Gaza.

Cop revealed this evening that 15 people were arrested

They were suspected of breaching Section 60AA, public order offences, criminal damage, assaults on emergency workers and setting off fireworks in a public place.

ARREST THREATS

A Met Police statement said: "Any person participating in or associated with the ‘Palestine Solidarity Campaign’ protest must not deviate from the route below or they may be subject to arrest."

Protestors waved Palestinian flags and placards saying "Free Palestine" as they gathered in the capital, surrounded by hundreds of cops.

One woman, wearing a red coat, was seen holding a sign saying “ethnic cleansing is not self defence”.

While another with a scarf around their face held a canister aloft as coloured smoke billowed out behind.

Fireworks were set off by members of the pro-Palestinian crowd amid the London protest.

Police on horseback watched on as a police helicopter circled over the demonstration.

Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor said a "very significant policing operation" was in place with more than a thousand officers dedicated to patrolling vulnerable locations.

RISING TENSIONS

It comes after the former chief of terror group Hamas Khaled Meshaal called for a global day of rage against supporters of Israel wherever they are in the world.

Scotland Yard is prepared for unrest in the capital as rising tensions in the Middle East threatens to spark violence in Britain.

The DAC said the UK counter terrorism network is looking into whether there is an "increased likelihood of attacks".

Mr Taylor added that the UK threat level remains at "substantial" - meaning an attack is likely.

Cops pointed out that expressing support for the Palestinian people more broadly, including flying the Palestinian flag, does not in itself constitute a criminal offence.

But a spokesperson said there were situations where a flag or banner, or the use of specific words or phrases, could be seen as intimidation, or even constitute intending to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

It comes as...

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The first UK evacuation flight from Israel has landed in Cyprus

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told cops they have his full backing to throw the book at anyone glorifying terrorism - amid a 400 per cent increase in antisemitic attacks last week.

Mr Taylor revealed police recorded 105 antisemitic incidents in London over the past two weeks, a more than seven-fold increase compared to the same period last year when there were 14.

Protest liaison teams have been working with organisers to determine what will and will not be acceptable for the Met and how the events can be carried out safely.

The Nova Festival, held on rural farmland near the Gaza-Israel border, was just one of multiple locations hit on October 7 that sparked the latest war.

Dozens of Hamas militants blasted through Israel’s heavily fortified separation fence and crossed into the country from Gaza opened fire on thousands of Israelis.

Partygoers were left running for their lives after the massacre.