AJN Agency.- British police arrested 40 people and said three officers were injured yesterday after anti-Israel demonstrators refused to disperse following a demonstration in London against the attack on Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
The Metropolitan Police Department in the British capital said that they were arrested for crimes including violating public order conditions, obstructing the streets, and assaulting police workers.
Two officers were slightly injured, while the third was hit by a bottle thrown into the crowd and suffered a “serious facial injury.”
The Metropolitan Police, as the force is widely known, said an investigation was underway to determine who threw the bottle.
Police approved plans for the protest, organized by a coalition including the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, outside the gates of Downing Street in central London.
But he imposed conditions that included the end of the demonstration at eight in the evening (local time).
Up to 10,000 people attended and the “vast majority” left on time, but a group of about 500 people stayed to continue the protest, according to police.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “Officers were extensively involved before making a series of arrests for breach of conditions.”
He added: “Some in the crowd physically resisted, forcing officers to use force to remove the detainees.”
More arrests later followed, after the remaining protesters launched a secessionist march and were eventually surrounded outside the train station, the Metropolitan Police said.
