Palestine Action rally to go ahead today despite pleas

Organisers of a major pro-Palestine protest this weekend have defied pressure to call it off in the wake of the terror attack at a Manchester synagogue.

- ARCHIE MITCHELL KATE DEVLIN AMY-CLARE MARTIN

Sir Keir Starmer urged protesters to “respect the grief of British Jews” as a row over the demonstration intensified.

Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley asked organisers to cancel today's event in support of Palestine Action, warning it would escalate tensions and will pull police resources away from communities “at a time when they are needed most”.

His plea came after home secretary Shabana Mahmood called for a pause in protesting in solidarity with the Jewish community, calling on demonstrators to “show some humanity”.

However organisers Defend Our Juries have pledged to carry on with their demonstration in Trafalgar Square, insisting: “Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win.”

Around 1,500 people are expected to risk arrest by holding placards showing support for the direct-action group, which was designated as a terrorist organisation in July.

The previous two events have seen a total of 1,422 people arrested under terrorism laws in a mass show of defiance against the controversial decision to ban the group.

Writing in the Jewish Chronicle yesterday evening, Sir Keir said: “I know that planned protests over the weekend, just a few days before the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, as well as in the shadow of the Manchester attack, will cause distress.

“Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy - and there is justified concern about the suffering in Gaza – but a minority have used these protests as a pretext for stoking antisemitic tropes.

“I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews this week. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain.”