Latest news with #StoptheHate
ITV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
Hundreds march to Downing Street urging release of Israeli hostages in Gaza
Hundreds of people including family members of Israeli hostages taken on October 7 have marched to Downing Street urging the release of those being held by Hamas. There were several flare-ups from counter-protesters and three arrests as the National March for the Hostages, organised by Stop the Hate UK and a number of Jewish organisations as it made its way through central London on Sunday. It comes after Sir Keir Starmer pledged to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government meets a series of conditions towards ending the conflict in Gaza. Stop the Hate said that protesters are urging the Prime Minister to prioritise the release of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages, with 20 of them thought to be alive, before any recognition of a Palestinian state. Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brothers Roi and Nadav Popplewell were murdered, told demonstrators that recognising the state of Palestine before the return of all of the hostages is a 'prize' to Hamas. Speaking close to Downing Street, she said: 'This week I joined a meeting with the UK Government to continue to press our case that the hostages must be freed before the UK Government can recognise the state of Palestine. 'As I said to the Government, to recognise the state without the return of all of the hostages is a prize to Hamas for the murder of my two brothers.' Some protesters held Israeli flags and wore yellow ribbons as they congregated in Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn from 1.30pm. A scuffle broke out after at least two men shouted 'Free Palestine' in front of the march close to Trafalgar Square. One man was seen being bundled to the ground after being surrounded by about a dozen people, while another man was seen being moved away by police officers after he began shouting. Another man was carried away by officers after he was seen throwing water over a pro-Israel demonstrator before charging at him and putting his hand around the demonstrator's neck, before officers intervened. The Metropolitan Police said officers were deployed along the route 'to ensure the safety of those attending and to deal with any offences.' Two speakers from a progressive Judaism movement were booed at the assembly after saying that Palestinians have the 'right to self-determination'. Rabbi Charley Baginsky said: 'We call for an end to this war through a deal that brings the hostages home and the permanent restoration of humanitarian aid to Gaza.' Some in the crowd began booing and shouting 'no deal', while one man shouted 'smash Hamas'. More in the crowd joined in the booing, while some shouted 'shame on you' and demanded that the pair be removed. It comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy joined his counterparts from Australia, Italy, Germany and New Zealand to condemn Israeli plans to take over Gaza City. On Sunday Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanayhu told to foreign media Israel had "no choice" but to "defeat Hamas" by taking over the Gaza strip. Sir Keir described Israel's plans as 'wrong' and called for 'a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution'.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
London rally demands release of hostages in Gaza as Mideast tensions grip U.K.
LONDON — Demonstrators seeking the release of Israeli hostages marched in central London on Sunday as the war in Gaza continues to inflame tensions across the United Kingdom. The protesters, who planned to march to the prime minister's residence for a rally, include Noga Guttman, a cousin of 24-year-old hostage Evyatar David, who was featured in a video that enraged Israelis when it was released by Hamas militants last week. The video showed an emaciated David saying he was digging his own grave inside a tunnel in Gaza. Hamas-led militants kidnapped 251 people when they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. About 50 of the hostages still haven't been released, of whom 20 are thought to be alive. Israel last week announced its intention to occupy Gaza City as part of a plan to end the war and bring the captives home. Family members and many international leaders have condemned the plan, saying it would lead to more bloodshed and endanger the hostages. 'We are united in one clear and urgent demand: the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,' Stop the Hate, a coalition of groups organizing the march, said in a statement. 'Regardless of our diverse political views, this is not a political issue — it is a human one.' The march comes a day after police arrested 532 people at a protest in support of a banned pro-Palestinian organization. The demonstrators on Saturday sought to pressure the government to overturn its decision to ban the group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. Legislation passed last month makes it a crime to publicly support the group. The Metropolitan Police Service said it arrested 522 people for supporting Palestine Action. Ten others were arrested on other charges, including assaults on police officers. The government banned Palestine Action after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two tanker planes to protest British support for the war in Gaza. Palestine Action had previously targeted Israeli defense contractors and other sites in Britain that they believe have links with the Israeli military. Backers of the group, who have held a series of protests around the U.K. in the last month, argue that the law illegally restricts freedom of expression. More than 500 protesters filled the square outside the Houses of Parliament on Saturday, many daring police to arrest them by displaying signs reading, 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' That was enough for police to step in. As the demonstration began to wind down, police and protest organizers disagreed over the number of arrests, as the organizers sought to show that the law was unworkable. 'The police have only been able to arrest a fraction of those supposedly committing 'terrorism' offenses, and most of those have been given street bail and allowed to go home,' Defend Our Juries, which organized the protest, said in a statement. 'This is a major embarrassment to [the government], further undermining the credibility of this widely ridiculed law, brought in to punish those exposing the government's own crimes.' London's Metropolitan Police Service rejected that assertion, saying that many of those gathered in the square were onlookers, media members or people who didn't hold placards supporting the group. 'We are confident that anyone who came to Parliament Square today to hold a placard expressing support for Palestine Action was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested,' the police force said in a statement Saturday. On Friday, police said the demonstration was unusual in that the protesters wanted to be arrested in large numbers to place a strain on police and the criminal justice system. The government moved to ban Palestine Action after the activists broke into an air force base in southern England on June 20. The activists sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker planes at the RAF Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire and caused further damage with crowbars. Supporters of the group are challenging the ban in court, saying the government has gone too far in declaring Palestine Action a terrorist organization. 'Once the meaning of 'terrorism' is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead,' Defend Our Juries said on its website. Though Prime Minister Keir Starmer has angered Israel with plans to recognize a Palestinian state later this year, many Palestinian supporters in Britain criticize the government for not doing enough to end the war in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered Saturday afternoon in central London for a march that ended outside the gates of No. 10 Downing St., the prime minister's official residence and offices. Police are also preparing for protests outside hotels across the U.K. that are being used to house asylum seekers. Protesters and counterprotesters have squared off outside the hotels in recent weeks, with some saying the migrants pose a risk to their communities and others decrying what they see as anti-immigrant racism. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the scale of the events would 'put pressure' on the police department. 'This is going to be a particularly busy few days in London with many simultaneous protests and events that will require a significant policing presence,' Adelekan said before the protests began. Kirka writes for the Associated Press.
North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Hundreds march to Downing Street urging release of Israeli hostages
There were several flare-ups from counter-protesters and three arrests as the National March for the Hostages, organised by Stop the Hate UK and a number of Jewish organisations, made its way through central London on Sunday. It comes after Sir Keir Starmer pledged to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government meets a series of conditions towards ending the conflict in Gaza. Stop the Hate said that protesters will urge the Prime Minister to prioritise the release of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages, with 20 of them thought to be alive, before any recognition of a Palestinian state. Among those due to attend and give a speech is Noga Guttman, the cousin of 24-year-old Evyatar David, who was kidnapped. Hamas released a video last weekend which showed Mr David looking skeletal and hollow-eyed in a dimly lit Gaza tunnel. Some protesters held Israeli flags and wore yellow ribbons as they congregated in Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn from 1.30pm. A scuffle broke out after at least two men shouted 'Free Palestine' in front of the march close to Trafalgar Square. One man was seen being bundled to the ground after being surrounded by about a dozen people, while another man was seen being moved away by police officers after he began shouting. Earlier, on The Strand, a young man was kept away from the protesters after shouting 'Free Palestine'. Another man was carried away by officers after a scuffle broke out close to the gates of Downing Street. He was seen throwing water over a pro-Israel demonstrator before charging at him and putting his hand around the demonstrator's neck, before officers intervened. The Metropolitan Police said officers were deployed along the route 'to ensure the safety of those attending and to deal with any offences.' A man, who was not part of the march, was arrested for common assault and a racially aggravated public order offence after the march briefly paused just past Charing Cross, the force said. There were two further arrests for assault during the assembly following a disagreement between attendees in the crowd. Addressing the crowd in Whitehall, the UK's Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: 'To our Government we turn and we say 'how would you ever be able to live with the fact that you would have recognised a Palestinian state, at the head of which is a terrorist organisation, with a stated intention of destroying the state of Israel and harming Jews right around the world and all this at a time when the hostages are still languishing in the tunnels of Gaza?' 'The Labour Party, both in opposition and now in Government, has had a mantra, they have continuously been saying 'don't judge us by our words, judge us by our deeds'. 'And to our Government we say right now this is the time for responsible action, it is not too late.' Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brothers Roi and Nadav Popplewell were murdered, said in her own speech: 'This week I joined a meeting with the UK Government to continue to press our case that the hostages must be freed before the UK Government can recognise the state of Palestine. 'As I said to the Government, to recognise the state without the return of all of the hostages is a prize to Hamas for the murder of my two brothers.' It comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy joined his counterparts from Australia, Italy, Germany and New Zealand to condemn Israeli plans to take over Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said, on Friday, that Israel would seek 'the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip', as well as 'Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip' and 'the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority'. In their joint statement, the foreign ministers said the plans 'risk violating international law' and 'any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law'. Sir Keir described Israel's plans as 'wrong' and called for 'a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution'. He said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to meet certain conditions, including addressing the humanitarian crisis, implementing a ceasefire and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution. But he insisted the move was not a propaganda boost to Hamas, saying the 'terrorist organisation' could play 'no part in any future government'.
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Hundreds march to Downing Street urging release of Israeli hostages
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer pledged to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government meets a series of conditions towards ending the conflict in Gaza. Two men – one demonstrator and another man – were involved in a scuffle outside Downing Street (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Stop the Hate said that protesters will urge the Prime Minister to prioritise the release of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages, with 20 of them thought to be alive, before any recognition of a Palestinian state. Among those due to attend and give a speech is Noga Guttman, the cousin of 24-year-old Evyatar David, who was kidnapped. Hamas released a video last weekend which showed Mr David looking skeletal and hollow-eyed in a dimly lit Gaza tunnel. Some protesters held Israeli flags and wore yellow ribbons as they congregated in Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn from 1.30pm. A scuffle broke out after at least two men shouted 'Free Palestine' in front of the march close to Trafalgar Square. One man was seen being bundled to the ground after being surrounded by about a dozen people, while another man was seen being moved away by police officers after he began shouting. Earlier, on The Strand, a young man was kept away from the protesters after shouting 'Free Palestine'. Another man was carried away by officers after a scuffle broke out close to the gates of Downing Street. Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (centre left) joins family members of hostages being held by Palestinian militant group Hamas, Jewish community leaders and antisemitism campaigners in central London (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He was seen throwing water over a pro-Israel demonstrator before charging at him and putting his hand around the demonstrator's neck, before officers intervened. The Metropolitan Police said officers were deployed along the route 'to ensure the safety of those attending and to deal with any offences.' A man, who was not part of the march, was arrested for common assault and a racially aggravated public order offence after the march briefly paused just past Charing Cross, the force said. Addressing the crowd in Whitehall, the UK's Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: 'To our Government we turn and we say 'how would you ever be able to live with the fact that you would have recognised a Palestinian state, at the head of which is a terrorist organisation, with a stated intention of destroying the state of Israel and harming Jews right around the world and all this at a time when the hostages are still languishing in the tunnels of Gaza?' 'The Labour Party, both in opposition and now in Government, has had a mantra, they have continuously been saying 'don't judge us by our words, judge us by our deeds'. 'And to our Government we say right now this is the time for responsible action, it is not too late.' Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brothers Roi and Nadav Popplewell were murdered, said in her own speech: 'This week I joined a meeting with the UK Government to continue to press our case that the hostages must be freed before the UK Government can recognise the state of Palestine. Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brothers Roi and Nadav Popplewell were murdered, speaks to supporters during the National March For The Hostages in central London (Stefan Rousseau/PA) 'As I said to the Government, to recognise the state without the return of all of the hostages is a prize to Hamas for the murder of my two brothers.' It comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy joined his counterparts from Australia, Italy, Germany and New Zealand to condemn Israeli plans to take over Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said, on Friday, that Israel would seek 'the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip', as well as 'Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip' and 'the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority'. In their joint statement, the foreign ministers said the plans 'risk violating international law' and 'any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law'. Sir Keir described Israel's plans as 'wrong' and called for 'a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution'. He said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to meet certain conditions, including addressing the humanitarian crisis, implementing a ceasefire and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution. But he insisted the move was not a propaganda boost to Hamas, saying the 'terrorist organisation' could play 'no part in any future government'.
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Hundreds march to Downing Street urging release of Israeli hostages
There were several flare-ups from counter protesters including one arrest as the 'national march for the hostages', organised by Stop the Hate UK and a number of Jewish organisations, made its way through central London on Sunday. It comes after Sir Keir Starmer pledged to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government meets a series of conditions towards ending the conflict in Gaza. Stop the Hate said that protesters will urge the Prime Minister to prioritise the release of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages, with 20 of them thought to be alive, before any recognition of a Palestinian state. Among those due to attend and give a speech is Noga Guttman, the cousin of 24-year-old Evyatar David, who was kidnapped. Hamas released a video last weekend which showed Mr David looking skeletal and hollow-eyed in a dimly lit Gaza tunnel. Some protesters held Israeli flags and wore yellow ribbons as they congregated in Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn from 1.30pm. A scuffle broke out after at least two men shouted 'Free Palestine' in front of the march close to Trafalgar Square. One man was seen being bundled to the ground after being surrounded by about a dozen people, while another man was seen being moved away by police officers after he began shouting. Earlier, on The Strand, a young man was kept away from the protesters after shouting 'Free Palestine'. Another man was carried away by officers after a scuffle broke out close to the gates of Downing Street. He was seen throwing water over a pro-Israel demonstrator before charging at him and putting his hand around the demonstrator's neck, before officers intervened. The Metropolitan Police said officers were deployed along the route 'to ensure the safety of those attending and to deal with any offences.' A man, who was not part of the march, was arrested for common assault and a racially aggravated public order offence after the march briefly paused just past Charing Cross, the force said. Addressing the crowd in Whitehall, the UK's Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: 'To our Government we turn and we say 'how would you ever be able to live with the fact that you would have recognised a Palestinian state, at the head of which is a terrorist organisation, with a stated intention of destroying the state of Israel and harming Jews right around the world and all this at a time when the hostages are still languishing in the tunnels of Gaza?' 'The Labour Party, both in opposition and now in Government, has had a mantra, they have continuously been saying 'don't judge us by our words, judge us by our deeds'. 'And to our Government we say right now this is the time for responsible action, it is not too late.' Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brothers Roi and Nadav Popplewell were murdered, said in her own speech: 'This week I joined a meeting with the UK Government to continue to press our case that the hostages must be freed before the UK Government can recognise the state of Palestine. 'As I said to the Government, to recognise the state without the return of all of the hostages is a prize to Hamas for the murder of my two brothers.' It comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy joined his counterparts from Australia, Italy, Germany and New Zealand to condemn Israeli plans to take over Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said, on Friday, that Israel would seek 'the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip', as well as 'Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip' and 'the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority'. In their joint statement, the foreign ministers said the plans 'risk violating international law' and 'any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law'. Sir Keir described Israel's plans as 'wrong' and called for 'a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution'. He said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to meet certain conditions, including addressing the humanitarian crisis, implementing a ceasefire and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution. But he insisted the move was not a propaganda boost to Hamas, saying the 'terrorist organisation' could play 'no part in any future government'.
