Eleven arrested at London October 7 anniversary protests on Wednesday as Israel moves against UK consulate
Five people were arrested for inciting racial hatred outside the Board of Deputies in Camden, with six more held at student marches and a counter-protest, as Israel confirmed it will strip the British consulate in Jerusalem of diplomatic status on Thursday in retaliation for the UK settlement trade ban.
Eleven people were arrested in London on Wednesday as pro-Palestine demonstrations and counter-protests clashed on the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, while Israel confirmed it will shut the British consulate in Jerusalem on Thursday in retaliation for the UK ban on trade with Israeli settlements.
The Metropolitan Police said five people were arrested on Wednesday morning for inciting racial hatred at what the force described as a “spontaneous protest” outside the Board of Deputies of British Jews in Camden, after allegedly shouting or chanting slogans calling for intifada. Four more were arrested at pro-Palestine student marches and one at a counter-protest in Holborn for breaching the Public Order Act, while another individual was held for common assault.
Around 100 pro-Palestine protesters marched from King’s College London on the Strand to University College London in Holborn, chanting “free, free Palestine”, while counter-protesters holding Israeli flags gathered at Russell Square. A separate rally took place at Queen Mary University in east London. The Metropolitan Police had imposed strict conditions on the marches, including a ban on face coverings.
not be threatened or intimidated by this small and extremist minority of British societyPhil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, 7 October 2026
The demonstrations had been condemned in advance. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting called the planned protests “shameful”, while Education Secretary Lucy Powell urged students to show compassion and protest on another day. Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg said the organisation would “not be threatened or intimidated by this small and extremist minority of British society”, and would continue to advocate for the Jewish people and stand up for peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider Middle East.
Separately, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said Israel would hold firm on its decision to close the British consulate in Jerusalem on Thursday, despite British efforts to reach an agreement to prevent the closure. A spokesperson for Mr Saar told Reuters: “It would close on Thursday, as announced.” The consulate’s diplomatic status is to be removed, barring around 30 diplomats from legally operating from the building, though Israel will stop short of expelling them and says they should work from the British embassy in Tel Aviv.
Israel ordered the closure on 8 September, giving Britain 30 days to comply, after the UK announced a ban on goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. France and Canada joined the sanctions. Britain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, travelled to Israel last week in an unsuccessful attempt to keep the consulate open, though Reuters reported that talks were continuing.
The UK has threatened a tit-for-tat expulsion of Israeli diplomats from London if British diplomats are expelled. The consulate, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, provides consular services to Palestinians in the city and handles British relations with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
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