Mass arrests at Gaza protests across UK supporting proscribed ‘terrorist' group
In the capital, the Metropolitan Police said 55 people had been arrested in Parliament Square for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action, London's The Telegraph reported. The force said they were arrested under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
It later added that by 4pm, a further 10 people had been arrested within the main Palestine Coalition march, bringing the total to 65 in London.
The Telegraph reported that pro-Israel counter-protesters chanted 'there is no genocide' at thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, with one activist shouting: 'You use genocide as an excuse for your hatred for the Jewish state.'
They held signs that read 'There is no genocide – but there are 50 hostages still captive', and were met with shouts of 'fascist' and 'f--- your Jewish state' by some pro-Palestinian protesters.
The Telegraph also reported that eight people were arrested on the steps of Truro Cathedral in Cornwall. Defend Our Juries said one of those arrested was Deborah Hinton, an 81-year-old former magistrate. Video posted online showed police carrying an elderly man away from the Truro demonstration as he shouted, 'I oppose genocide.'
Critics of the protests described them as antisemitic.
'These chants just show how thin the veneer is and why they fixate on Israel. The fact is that they hate the idea of a Jewish state existing because they cannot stand the idea of Jews having self-determination,' a spokesman for the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism told the Telegraph.
'Palestine Action has always been an extreme and hateful organisation and, rather than arresting and releasing their supporters, they must now face the full force of the law.'
Meanwhile, a cast member unfolded a Palestinian flag on stage during a Royal Opera House production on Saturday night, London time, the Telegraph reported.
The incident took place during the encore of a performance of Il Trovatore at the London venue and attempts were made to remove the flag, which was resisted.
A member of the audience told the Telegraph: 'At the Royal Opera House, one of the cast unfurled a Palestinian flag at the encore.
'Someone ... came on stage from the wings to try to remove the flag from the cast member who wrestled it back and refused to give it up.' The Telegraph approached the Royal Opera House for comment.
In Gaza, at least 36 people were killed by Israeli fire while they were on their way to an aid distribution site at dawn on Saturday, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots at suspects who approached its troops after they did not heed calls to stop, about a kilometre away from an aid distribution site that was not active at the time.
Gaza resident Mohammed al-Khalidi said he was in the group approaching the site and heard no warnings before the firing began.
'We thought they came out to organise us so we can get aid, suddenly (I) saw the jeeps coming from one side, and the tanks from the other and started shooting at us,' he said.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed group which runs the aid site, said there were no incidents or fatalities there on Saturday and that it had repeatedly warned people not to travel to its distribution points in the dark.
'The reported IDF (Israel Defence Forces) activity resulting in fatalities occurred hours before our sites opened and our understanding is most of the casualties occurred several kilometres away from the nearest GHF site,' it said.
The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 2023, killing 1200 people, mostly civilians and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.
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The Israeli military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed around 58,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis, leaving much of the territory in ruins.
Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a US-proposed 60-day ceasefire and a hostage deal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, though there has been no sign of any imminent breakthrough. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are believed to still be alive.
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News.com.au
13 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Anthony Albanese says Gaza crisis has gone ‘beyond the world's worst fears'
Anthony Albanese has warned the situation in Gaza has gone 'beyond the world's worst fears' and accused Israel of denying aid to starving children in his strongest criticism to date. Just a week after describing the reported killings of Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza as 'completely indefensible', Mr Albanese has issued a new statement on the crisis. 'The situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world's worst fears,' Mr Albanese said on Friday. 'The position of the Australian Government is clear: every innocent life matters. 'Every Israeli. Every conflict has stolen far too many innocent lives.' Mr Albanese's statement also accused Israel of denying aid to children in Gaza and killing civilians. 'Tens of thousands of civilians are dead, children are starving,'' Mr Albanese said. 'Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel's denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored. 'We call on Israel to comply immediately with its obligations under international law.' It follows British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warning the Palestinian people have an 'inalienable right' to a state of their own and French President Emmanuel Macron confirming he will support moves to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the UN general assembly, 'Any proposals for the permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian population must be abandoned,'' Mr Albanese said. 'Australia condemns the terror and brutality of Hamas and we reiterate our call for the immediate release of the remaining hostages. 'We continue to support all international efforts to facilitate a ceasefire, recognising that an immediate and permanent ceasefire gives the best hope of bringing hostages home and easing the agony of their loved ones.' Mr Albanese said that the 'legitimate aspirations' for the Palestinian people to have a state of their own was a bipartisan proposition. 'Australia is proud to have strongly supported the creation of the modern state of Israel,' he said. 'Then, as now, the global community envisioned two states: the State of Israel and the State of Palestine. 'Recognising the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own has long been a bipartisan position in Australia. 'The reason a two state solution remains the goal of the international community is because a just and lasting peace depends upon it. 'Australia is committed to a future where both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can live in peace and safety, within secure and internationally-recognised borders. 'Until that day, every effort must be made here and now to safeguard innocent life and end the suffering and starvation of the people of Gaza. Sir Keir Starmer has condemned the 'unspeakable and indefensible' humanitarian conditions in Gaza after aid groups warned of mass starvation. In a statement this week, he warned that while the situation had been 'grave for some time' but it has 'reached new depths'. 'We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe,' he said. 'I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace. We all agree on the pressing need for Israel to change course and allow the aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay. 'It is hard to see a hopeful future in such dark times. But I must reiterate my call for all sides to engage in good faith, and at pace, to bring about an immediate ceasefire and for Hamas to unconditionally release all hostages. We strongly support the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to secure this. 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' Israel-Gaza war Mr Albanese has described recent actions by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza as 'completely indefensible' confirming in the last week that he told Israeli President Isaac Herzog directly that Israel was losing support. Describing the blockade on aid into Gaza as 'completely unacceptable' he took issue with Israel's 'excuses and explanations'. 'We need to always engage in the world as it is, rather than as we would like it to be,' he said. 'Israel's actions, many of the actions of the Netanyahu government, including by its ministers, have led my government indeed to sanction ministers in the Netanyahu government. We would not have thought that was on the agenda in 2022, when I was elected. 'Australia is a long-term supporter — and indeed played a role in the creation of the State of Israel. 'But at that time it's important to remember that two states were envisaged and Australia and certainly my government, has continued to support two states in the Middle East: the State of Israel and the State of Palestine. 'We want Israel to continue to exist within secure borders and to be able to live without the threat of terrorists such as Hamas engaging in the sort of atrocities we saw on October 7. 'But Palestinians have a legitimate aspiration for a state of their own and to be able to achieve prosperity, and that is something that has been a bipartisan position as well going back to John Howard who said there could be no peace in the Middle East, without dealing with the Palestinian question.'

ABC News
14 minutes ago
- ABC News
PM labels Gaza a 'humanitarian catastrophe' and reaffirms aspiration for Palestinian statehood
The prime minister has labelled the conflict in Gaza a "humanitarian catastrophe", while reaffirming an existing commitment to a two-state solution. France has announced it will formally recognise Palestine later this year, becoming the largest and most influential European nation to do so. In some of his strongest language on the conflict yet, Anthony Albanese said the conflict has gone "beyond the world's worst fears". "Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel's denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food, cannot be defended or ignored," he said. It follows Australia joining 27 other countries in a joint statement earlier this week demanding an immediate end to the war. Israel labelled those joint calls "disconnected from reality", arguing the attention of those countries should be focused on the actions of Hamas. Australia does not recognise a Palestinian state, instead referring officially to the West Bank and Gaza as the "Occupied Palestinian Territories", though it does have diplomatic ties with the Palestinian Authority. The new comments from Mr Albanese do not refer directly to France's moves to recognise Palestine, but point to Australia's long-standing ambitions around recognition. "Recognising the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own has long been a bipartisan position in Australia," he said. "The reason a two-state solution remains the goal of the international community is because a just and lasting peace depends upon it. "Australia is committed to a future where both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can live in peace and safety, within secure and internationally recognised borders."


SBS Australia
14 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
Reactions to France' recognition of Palestinian State
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France's announcement marks a significant shift, making it the most prominent Western nation to commit to recognising Palestinian statehood. The UK will sign a new 50-year AUKUS treaty with Australia during ministerial talks in Sydney today, amid uncertainty over U-S commitment to the submarine pact. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey will meet their Australian counterparts Penny Wong and Richard Marles at the annual Aukmin meeting. They will then travel to Melbourne to meet businesses involved in the programme. They will also visit Darwin as the U-K Carrier Strike Group arrives in the Northern Territory. AUKUS, agreed in 2021, aims to build nuclear-powered submarines and deepen defence ties, but the Trump administration is now reviewing U-S involvement. Five Australian women who were allegedly subjected to invasive medical examinations at Doha Airport in 2020 have won the right to take their case to trial. The women were among dozens removed from a Qatar Airways flight bound for Sydney after a newborn baby was found abandoned in a terminal bathroom. They claim they were forcibly taken from the plane by armed guards and subjected to non-consensual genital exams in an ambulance on the tarmac. Qatar Airways, backed by the Qatari government, had attempted to dismiss the case, arguing the women weren't technically injured under international aviation law. But the court has now ruled the case can proceed and ordered Qatar to pay their legal costs. Lawyer Damian Sturzaker represented the women who are seeking an apology, compensation, and assurances that such treatment will never happen again. 'We've now got an opportunity to have a full hearing with all of their evidence coming out, and in those circumstances, we're very, very pleased with the outcome today.' Treasurer Jim Chalmers says tackling Australia's long-running productivity slump will require a national effort from business, unions and the community. The latest Productivity Commission report, released overnight, shows the past decade, under Coalition governments, was the weakest for productivity growth in 60 years. Mr Chalmers says the problem has been decades in the making. 'The Productivity Commission makes it really clear that this challenge in our economy has not been just a feature of our economy the last couple of years, but for the last couple of decades, our productivity Challenge is a long-standing challenge. The weakest decade for productivity growth in the last 60 years was the decade that our political opponents presided over. So, this challenge has been in our economy for some time." Mr Chalmers adds that boosting productivity remains a key priority for the Albanese government, alongside improving economic resilience and long-term budget sustainability. 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Australia's Ben O'Connor has claimed a stunning victory in stage 18 of the Tour de France, conquering a gruelling 171.5 kilometre mountain route from Vif to the Col de la Loze. Riding for Jayco Al-Ula, the 29-year-old launched a well-timed attack before the final brutal 26.4 kilometre climb, holding off the chasing pack to cross the line first. "It's a rough race. It's the biggest race in the world, but it's, for sure, the cruellest. I've wanted another victory for so many years now. I've been fighting with thirds and fourths, and always so close. But yeah, I couldn't be more proud of myself and the boys who back me every single day of this whole race, even through the pretty rough times. So yeah, thanks to everyone, and to Jayco AlUla, it's what the team needed, and it's what I needed." Slovenian Tadej Pogacar finished second, extending his overall lead to 4 minutes 26 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard, who placed third.