By Catarina Demony and Andrew MacAskill
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s government and the police on Friday urged organisers of a planned pro-Palestinian protest in London this weekend to cancel or postpone the event, following the deadly attack on a synagogue in northern England.
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood urged protesters to “take a step back” for a few days to give the Jewish community time to grieve and process what has happened.
Two people were killed on Thursday when a man drove a car into pedestrians and then began stabbing them outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester.
The attacker has been named by police as Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, who was shot dead at the scene by armed officers.
PROTESTS OVER BAN ON PRO-PALESTINIAN GROUP
“The horrific terrorist attack that took place in Manchester yesterday will have caused significant fear and concern in communities across the UK, including here in London,” the Metropolitan Police said on X.
Saturday’s demonstration was organised by Defend Our Juries to oppose the British government’s July decision to ban the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws, making it a crime to be a member.
Since then, a number of protests have been held in support of the group, and over 1,500 have been arrested, many of them elderly, for offences relating to the ban.
The Metropolitan Police said they wanted to deploy every available officer to protect communities affected by the Manchester attack but were instead having to prepare for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in London’s Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of Palestine Action.
“By choosing to encourage mass law breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries (protest organisers) are drawing resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most,” the police said.
In response to the police, Defend Our Juries said they condemned the attack on the Jewish community in Manchester. They said it was the police’s choice whether or not to make arrests at the protests.
“We urge you therefore to choose to prioritise protecting the community, rather than arresting those peacefully holding signs in opposition to the absurd and draconian ban of a domestic direct action group,” Defend Our Juries said.
In the hours after the attack on Thursday, several pro-Palestinian protests took place in British cities. Police clashed with demonstrators near the prime minister’s official residence at Downing Street, leading to 40 arrests.
(Reporting by William James, Catarina Demony and Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
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