UK police made their first arrests on Wednesday under a tougher approach to pro-Palestinian protests, detaining demonstrators who chanted calls to “globalise the intifada.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said two people were arrested for racially aggravated public order offences at a demonstration in the capital. Two further arrests were made for public order offences, while a fifth person was held for obstructing officers. Similar policing measures were announced by police in Manchester.
The change follows recent violent attacks targeting Jewish communities, including a mass shooting at a Hanukkah festival in Sydney and an earlier attack on a Manchester synagogue. Police commanders said the context had shifted and that slogans linked to violence would be treated more robustly.
Jewish groups welcomed the move. UK authorities have also increased security at synagogues and Jewish schools amid a rise in antisemitic incidents.
