During a pro-Palestine march in central London on the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks, a protester was observed making an inverted triangle gesture, a symbol that has become associated with Hamas. Footage showed a woman holding a Palestinian flag with the red triangle pointing downwards while forming a similar shape with her fingers.
Supporters of the symbol argue it represents broader Palestinian resistance, while the terror group has used inverted red triangles in propaganda to mark Israeli targets. The march saw demonstrators clash with police, with chants of "free free Palestine" and "free the people, free the land" heard.
Approximately 100 people gathered at Lincoln's Inn Fields before marching. Despite police instructions not to wear face coverings, some participants appeared to disregard the order. The Metropolitan Police stated that officers had addressed numerous protesters regarding a Section 60AA order requiring face coverings to be removed, acknowledging that some believed more stringent action should have been taken against masked demonstrators. However, many protesters removed their face coverings after being warned.
Overall, 11 arrests were made during the day's demonstrations. Five individuals were arrested outside the Board of Deputies of British Jews in Camden for alleged offenses including inciting racial hatred and breaching public order conditions. Four additional arrests occurred during the student march, and one person was arrested at a counter-protest in Holborn for allegedly breaching Public Order Act conditions. Another participant in the student march was arrested on suspicion of common assault.
The Metropolitan Police indicated that evidence gathered during the protests would be reviewed to determine if further offenses had occurred. The march, policed by dozens of officers, caused traffic disruptions.
The president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews stated that the organization "would not be threatened or intimidated" following the protest outside its London headquarters. Phil Rosenberg commented that masked protesters chanting about "intifada" and harassing neighbors demonstrated outside their office on "the anniversary of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust." He expressed gratitude to the Metropolitan Police for their swift response and arrests, asserting that the organization would not be deterred by an "extremist minority."
The demonstrators marched from King's College London in the Strand to University College London in Russell Square. New Met Police regulations required the group to assemble in a designated area by 12:30 p.m. and follow a specific route, with the rally scheduled to end by 2 p.m.
Officials had previously warned participants that they faced arrest if they violated the "stringent" restrictions, including a ban on wearing face coverings that conceal identity. A counter-protest by Stop the Hate was also ordered to conclude by 2 p.m.
Jewish student leaders had previously called the march plans "outrageous." Defence Secretary Wes Streeting branded the planned demonstrations "shameful," while Education Secretary Lucy Powell urged students to "show compassion and protest on another day."
King's College London announced it would close Strand-facing entrances at three of its buildings for the safety and well-being of students. Calls had been made for police to seek a ban on the protest, with officers vowing a "robust" stance on what they termed "a day of mourning and a day of reflection." The demonstration was advertised on social media by student activists intending to "demand an end to the Palestinian genocide," coinciding with the third anniversary of the Hamas attacks that killed over 1,200 civilians and took 251 hostages.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman acknowledged the event's timing as the third anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack and the start of the Gaza conflict, recognizing the distress it caused Jewish communities. He stated that stringent conditions had been imposed to manage the event and minimize disruption, warning that anyone breaching these conditions or committing offenses would face arrest, with "zero tolerance for hate crime." Harman had previously asked the estimated 300 students planning to march to "reflect on the impact and distress it will cause on this very significant day, and exercise your right to protest on a different date." The plans were also condemned by Jewish organizations and senior politicians. The Met acknowledged that they cannot ban protests themselves but can ask the Home Secretary to do so only if the risk of serious disorder cannot be managed by conditions, a bar that was not met in this instance. The force clarified that claims of banning other protests were incorrect.
The Met stated they were working to identify organizers of the march, advertised by the "University of London Coalition." While groups were identifiable through social media posts, no specific individual had yet claimed responsibility as an organizer, which is a legal requirement under Section 11 of the Public Order Act.