Three more charged over pro-Palestinian rally in London
The protest on Saturday was organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- Published
Three more people have been charged after a pro-Palestinian protest in central London on Saturday.
Thousands gathered in the city to express support for Palestinians, the day before a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into force.
The static protest took place in Whitehall after police blocked plans to hold a march from Portland Place, near the headquarters of the BBC.
The Metropolitan Police said there was a "coordinated effort" to breach conditions imposed on the rally – something which has been denied by protest organisers.
Announcing the latest charges on Monday, the Met Police said Benjamin Jamal, 61, of Kingston-upon-Thames, south-west London, is accused of public order offences, including inciting people to fail to comply with protest conditions.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
Mr Jamal is the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which organised the protest.
In a statement, Mr Jamal said he would "vigorously contest" the charges against him and described the scenes on Saturday as "a huge assault on the right to freedom of assembly and to protest".
Jamila Zadran, 32, of East Ham, has charged with assaulting an emergency worker, while Luke Jacobs, 22, of West Hampstead, has been charged with obstructing a police officer and criminal damage.
The latest charges come after the Met announced on Sunday that nine people had been charged with public order offences. They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in the coming days, the force added.
It emerged on Sunday that independent MPs Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell were voluntarily interviewed under caution by police following the rally.
The former Labour leader, 75, and former shadow chancellor, 73, voluntarily attended a police station in the capital on Sunday.
In a statement on Monday, the Met did not identify the pair but said two men, aged 75 and 73, attended voluntary interviews on Sunday and they had been "released pending further investigations".
John McDonnell (left) and Jeremy Corbyn (second from right) at the rally in central London on Saturday
Police had imposed a condition on the rally under the Public Order Act that prevented it gathering in the area because of its close proximity to a synagogue and a risk there could be "serious disruption" as congregants attended services on the Jewish holy day.
In a post on X on Saturday, the Met posted a photo of what it said was a group "that forced its way through the police line" being held at the north-west corner of Trafalgar Square.
In response, Corbyn said in a separate post, external: "This is not an accurate description of events at all."
He said he was part of a delegation of speakers who wished to "peacefully carry and lay flowers in memory of children in Gaza who had been killed".
He added: "This was facilitated by the police. We did not force our way through."
McDonnell echoed Corbyn's comments in his own post on X, external, saying: "We did not force our way thru (sic), the police allowed us to go thru (sic) & when stopped in Trafalgar Square we laid our flowers down & dispersed."