Five people have been arrested for inciting racial hatred outside the Board of Deputies of British Jews in London during a protest on the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.
Protestors began marching from King’s College London in the Strand towards University College London in Russell Square, Holborn this afternoon.
As the protest “failed to reach a threshold” to lobby Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, the Metropolitan Police instead placed restrictions on the event today, including a set route and times to protest, alongside a ban on face coverings.
Groups of protesters and counter-protestor clashed near Russell Square as the march got underway, as counter protesters gathered behind the garden gates and chanted: “Shame on you.”
Counter-protestors held Israeli flags and placards that read: “Stop the Gaza genolie”, with shouts of “scumbags”, directed at the pro-Palestine protesters, alongside “terrorist supporters off our streets.”
The Metropolitan Police said five people had been arrested following an incident outside the Board of Deputies of British Jews office in London.
Scotland Yard said: “Earlier this morning, officers made arrests at a spontaneous protest outside the British Board of Deputies in Camden.
“Five people were arrested for inciting racial hatred, involving allegedly shouting or chanting slogans calling for intifada. They remain in police custody.”
Five people have been arrested for inciting racial hatred outside the Board of Deputies of British Jews in London | GETTYSeparately, a further two people have been arrested at the student march and counter protest in Holborn, the Met said.
Today marks the third anniversary of the attacks on October 7, which saw Hamas-led militants invade Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 250 others hostage.
Around 100 pro-Palestine protesters marched and chanted “free free Palestine” and “free the people, free the land” in London, with a group at the back of the march holding a banner reading: “Holocaust survivor descendants against Gaza genocide”.
Students linked to Queen Mary University of London rallied near the campus in east London, while pro-Palestine rallies led by student societies are due to take place at Edinburgh and Glasgow universities this afternoon.
The Met Police wrote on X: “Conditions on a counter-protest organised by Stop the Hate have been extended to cover all counter-protesters.
“A number of individuals are refusing to go to the designated assembly location in Russell Square. Officers are present and arrests will begin shortly.”
The decision to march in support of Palestine on Wednesday has faced backlash, with Jewish student leaders calling the plans “outrageous”.
Counter-protesters are also marching
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Meanwhile, university leaders were advised to review their security and keep close contact with Jewish groups ahead of the student demonstrations.
Universities UK (UUK), which represents more than 140 institutions, published guidance asking university leaders to maintain close contact with Jewish student groups, review security arrangements and publicise mechanisms for reporting antisemitic incidents.
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of UUK, said students and staff taking part in protests shout be “mindful that October 7 is an anniversary of a brutal attack on innocent people”, and agreed with the Met’s request that the march should have been moved to another day.
The Israeli embassy in London said Britain had “experienced a profound rise in antisemitism, with Jewish people facing intimidation and hatred in streets, schools, universities and online” in the three years since the Hamas attacks.
A counter-protest formed and blocked the pro-Palestine group from proceeding
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The Board of Deputies of British Jews will hold a vigil in Richmond Terrace, just off Whitehall, on Wednesday afternoon.
Its president, Phil Rosenberg, said: “Three years on, the awful events of October 7 stand as one of the most tragic days for our Jews around the world. The Hamas terrorist massacre inflicted profound suffering and enduring trauma.
“We will gather in central London to honour the victims with dignity and resolve.”
The protests come after the Green Party passed a controversial motion to define Zionism as racism, with the party’s leader, Zack Polanski, barred from Israel as a result.
Two senior Rabbis said the motion was “antisemitic in its formulation and intention”.
Data from the Community Security Trust (CST), published in August, suggested antisemitism in the UK spiked in the immediate aftermath of the US and Israel launching their war on Iran, and following a double stabbing of two visibly Jewish men in London.
The CST, which monitors antisemitism, said its research showed there were 1,926 antisemitic incidents recorded across the UK in January to June of 2026 – up by a fifth on the first half of last year and the second-highest total reported to the CST in the first six months of any year.
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