Starmer urges planned pro-Palestine protests to ‘respect grief of British Jews’
Prime Minister makes plea to pro-Palestine protesters in wake of synagogue attack
- Prime minister Keir Starmer urged pro-Palestine protesters to respect the grief of British Jews following a terror attack on a Manchester synagogue, stating the demonstrations could cause further pain.
- Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar called on the UK government to oppose the pro-Palestinian marches.
- Despite these calls and concerns from police regarding resource strain and insensitivity, planned protests in London and Manchester are set to go ahead.
- Organisers, such as Defend Our Juries, defended their right to protest, arguing that cancelling peaceful demonstrations 'lets terror win' and that their action is against government policy, not near Jewish sites.
- Police chiefs, including Sir Mark Rowley of the Metropolitan Police, criticised the protests for diverting vital resources and lacking sensitivity so soon after the attack.