Fifteen people were arrested after protests erupted outside a synagogue in north-west London on Sunday, police have confirmed.
Footage shared across social media platforms showed officers detaining demonstrators amid clashes outside Edgware United Synagogue, where individuals carrying both Palestinian and Israeli flags had gathered.
The Metropolitan Police stated that the arrests were made for a “range of offences, including public order matters”.
Commander Adam Slonecki addressed the incident, explaining: “We have liaised with the venue and the Community Security Trust and have deployed officers to prevent serious disruption and to deal with any offences, using the full range of powers available to us including imposing conditions under the Public Order Act.”
Commander Slonecki further emphasised the particular sensitivity of the location, noting: “We are mindful that Jewish communities are experiencing heightened fear and concern following two-and-a-half years of sustained protest and, in recent months, a series of arsons and other attacks.”
He drew a distinction between protest venues, adding: “There is a distinction between protesting in central London and protesting in the heart of communities where the potential to cause serious disruption and intimidation is greater and our policing plan reflects that.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews expressed its strong condemnation, stating it was “deeply disturbed” by the “wholly unjustified” demonstration.
The clash comes just two days after four Palestine Action activists were jailed following a raid on an Israel-based defence firm’s UK factory, an incident a judge ruled amounted to an “act of terrorism”.
The operation caused £1.2 million in damage and left a police officer with a fractured spine.
Samuel Corner, 23, a former Oxford student, received the longest sentence of seven years and eight months. Charlotte Head, 30, and Leona Kamio, 30, were each handed five-year prison terms, while Fatema Rajwani, 21, was sentenced to four years and eight months. All four will serve an additional year on licence upon their release.
The activists were involved in an incident in August 2024, when an old prison van crashed into the Elbit Systems site near Bristol.
Dressed in red boilersuits, they used sledgehammers and crowbars to destroy computers, drones, and other equipment before police intervened. During the raid, Corner struck Pc Kate Evans twice on the back with a seven-pound sledgehammer, causing a fractured spine.
