Eyewitness: London’s ‘flash’ protest sees abuse but no violence

Emergency ‘flash’ protests are normally called by those on the left, and these have been especially prevalent in recent years due to the situation in the Middle East, Chris Hobbs reports.

However, on this occasion, announcements flooded social media with flash protests across the country in relation to the appalling assault that took place in Belfast, together with the issues surrounding the murder of Henry Nowak.

The London protest was scheduled to take place in Parliament Square, and walking down Whitehall, it became clear that this wasn’t the only protest in Westminster. Opposite Downing Street, around 200 pro-Palestinians were also staging an emergency protest in respect of Israeli military strikes on Iran.

What was strange about this event was the total lack of police, other than those armed officers behind the gates of Downing Street. Further down Whitehall, however, the reason became clear. About `150 protesters had answered the call for the London flash protest that was due to take place in Parliament Square. Those taking part, complete with St George’s flags, then moved from the footway into the road outside the gates of Parliament, thus blocking traffic.

Two Met liaison officers were in the midst of a crowd attempting to persuade them to return to the footway, but were met with abuse and insults. A police van from Charing Cross police station arrived, and a handful of local officers were duly deployed. Seeing their colleagues were outnumbered, officers from the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Command deposited their firearms and moved to the other side of the Parliament railings to provide additional support.

The timely arrival of the BTP’s Operational Support Unit

At one stage, the protesters chanted take the knee as they did precisely that and angrily rounded on officers who all refused to do so. There was a clear sense of relief when police reinforcements arrived in the form of the British Transport Police’s OSU. (Operational Support Unit) who had distinguished themselves by assisting local forces during the riots of 2024 and again by ‘holding the line’ in Southampton during the recent disorder.

This protest merely confirmed the reality that once again, all officers had been ‘collectively’ smeared as a result of the Henry Nowak tragedy. ‘Collective smearing’ of police isn’t simply the province of the political right but is also a feature of those on the left.

After more than an hour of protest, three carriers of TSG (Territorial Support Group) officers arrived to significantly even the odds. Concerns that pro-Palestinian protesters might provoke disorder if they made their way home via Westminster Station proved groundless. Most dispersed by walking up Whitehall towards Charing Cross Station.

The TSG officers formed a cordon across the road facing the protesters who had, by now, held a minute’s silence for Henry. By this time, word was beginning to circulate amongst onlookers that serious disorder was occurring in Belfast. Another topic of conversation was the fact that Tommy Robinson was in Russia and had posted that Russian nationalists had paid tribute to Henry Nowak. I was not alone in feeling somewhat confused in that Russia supports Iran, whose avowed aim is the destruction of Israel.

Mob Rule

Later that night, the scale of disorder in Belfast became clear with mobs attempting to identify houses inhabited by migrants to set those houses on fire. Protests did, as planned, take place across the UK but without any significant issues. Perhaps the severe sentences being meted out to those involved in the Southampton disorder were a factor; however, the sentiments of thousands expressed on social media from across the UK and from beyond, notably the USA, suggested that they would not be averse to violent disorder breaking out on the streets of British towns and cities.

Whilst there were no incidents at Parliament Square, there was surprise that the Met’s public order branch (MO6) seemed unaware that the protest was due to take place despite the fact that the details of the nationwide protests were prominently displayed across social media. Perhaps the cutbacks and tenure issues are already having a debilitating effect on a branch that is renowned worldwide for its effectiveness and efficiency, and who were responsible for the masterclass of public order policing when huge opposing marches took place in London last month.