UK police accused of being heavy-handed at protest against BBC coverage on Gaza
London's Metropolitan Police is facing accusations of being heavy-handed after three people were "violently" arrested for protesting outside the BBC's offices over the broadcaster's coverage of the war on Gaza.
One protester told Middle East Eye that he was repeatedly punched by officers late on Tuesday after police attempted to carry out an arrest.
"The way the police acted was so violent. I've never seen this level of brutality towards protesters before," Rajiv Sinha, the director of Hindus for Human Rights UK, told MEE.
"A large group of officers made their way through the crowd in a single-file line to arrest one person. We started pushing back and began chanting 'this is repression' as they dragged the protesters away."
Sinha said the police vastly outnumbered the small crowd, and highlighted footage posted online which appeared to show officers hitting some of those in attendance.
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Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Youth Demand, one of the organisers behind the protest, accused the Metropolitan Police of "extreme policing".
"We were met with extreme policing, but we held it together to rally against the ongoing genocide," the spokesperson said in a video posted on Instagram.
Earlier this year, the police imposed restrictions banning protests outside the BBC during the national March for Palestine in January.
Officers arrested several people for allegedly breaking these restrictions, including Chris Nineham, who serves as the national steward for the National March for Palestine and chairs the Stop the War Coalition.
Ben Jamal, who chairs the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, was also called in for questioning. Both Jamal and Nineham pleaded not guilty to breaking the Public Order Act.
Following the January protest, the police summoned several people for additional questioning, including Raghad Altikriti, who chairs the Muslim Association of Britain. Altikriti spoke to MEE after her police interview on Wednesday, where she condemned the police's attempts at intimidation.
"It was not a pleasant experience being called in for standing up for justice and against oppression, especially when you know you have done nothing wrong," Altikriti told MEE.
"Our strength is driven by the fact that we have been largely peaceful, with even statements by the police confirming that."
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told MEE that three people were arrested and no restrictions were imposed.
"One person was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker after an officer received minor injuries," the spokesperson said.
"Two people were identified as wanted for conspiracy to commit public nuisance. They were both arrested. However, one of the suspects was later de-arrested."
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